NSE4 Firewall Policies and NAT Practice Question
An admin needs to allow outbound HTTP and HTTPS traffic from the internal network to the internet. Which two built-in service objects can be used in a single firewall policy to achieve this?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to confuse the generic term 'WEB' with the actual built-in service object name 'HTTP', or assume that 'ANY' is acceptable for simplicity, overlooking the security risk of opening all protocols.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
HTTP and HTTPS
HTTP (TCP/80) and HTTPS (TCP/443) are the two built-in service objects that specifically match outbound web traffic. A single firewall policy can include both service objects to allow HTTP and HTTPS traffic from internal users to the internet, which is the most precise and secure way to permit web browsing without opening unnecessary ports.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
WEB and SSL
Why it's wrong here
Fortinet's predefined service library does not include an object named 'WEB'; the standard object for outbound web traffic is 'HTTP' (TCP/80). 'SSL' typically refers to a service for SSL VPN (TCP/10443) or generic TLS, not specifically for HTTPS web traffic. Selecting these non-standard names would either fail to match the actual ports or create a policy that doesn't properly cover both HTTP and HTTPS, potentially blocking intended traffic.
- ✗
ANY and HTTPS
Why it's wrong here
The ANY service object in FortiGate matches all IP protocol numbers and all ports, making it essentially an allow-all for any traffic. Pairing it with HTTPS in the service field does not restrict the policy to outbound web browsing; it still permits every possible port and protocol, including DNS, SMTP, and arbitrary TCP/UDP. This violates the principle of least privilege and could expose the internal network to unnecessary outbound risk.
- ✗
ALL_TCP and ALL_UDP
Why it's wrong here
ALL_TCP and ALL_UDP are predefined FortiGate service objects that match every TCP port and every UDP port respectively. While outbound HTTP and HTTPS only require TCP 80 and 443, selecting these broad objects permits thousands of unrelated ports and protocols, such as Telnet, SSH, TFTP, and SNMP. This drastically expands the attack surface and is not a precise or secure way to meet the requirement.
- ✓
HTTP and HTTPS
Why this is correct
The predefined service objects 'HTTP' (TCP/80) and 'HTTPS' (TCP/443) directly match the two standard ports used for outbound web browsing. Using these built-in objects allows the firewall to enforce the policy narrowly and consistently, without the need to create custom definitions. This is the best practice because it enables the exact traffic required while blocking everything else.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This NSE4 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Fortinet certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the NSE4 exam.