Quick Answer
The answer is Traffic logs. This is the correct choice because Traffic logs are specifically designed to record information about every session that matches a firewall policy, capturing critical details such as source and destination IP addresses, ports, byte counts, and session duration. On the Fortinet NSE 4 Network Security Professional exam, this question tests your ability to distinguish between the three primary FortiGate log types: Traffic logs for policy matches and statistics, Security logs for IPS, antivirus, and web filtering events, and Event logs for system-level occurrences. A common trap is confusing Traffic logs with Security logs, but remember that Security logs focus on threat detections, not general session data. A simple memory tip is to think of “Traffic” as “Transit”—if data is moving through a firewall policy, it belongs in a Traffic log.
This NSE4 practice question tests your understanding of high availability and diagnostics. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
Which FortiGate log type records information about firewall policy matches and traffic statistics?
Event logs
Why wrong: Event logs record system and administrative events.
Traffic logs
Traffic logs are generated when traffic matches a firewall policy and record session details.
Audit logs
Why wrong: Audit logs record administrator actions.
Security logs
Why wrong: Security logs record security profile events, not general traffic statistics.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Traffic logs
Traffic logs record information about every session that matches a firewall policy, including source/destination, ports, bytes, and duration. Security logs record IPS, antivirus, web filtering events. Event logs record system events.
Key principle: NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Event logs
Why it's wrong here
Event logs record system and administrative events.
Traffic logs
Audit logs
Why it's wrong here
Audit logs record administrator actions.
Security logs
Why it's wrong here
Security logs record security profile events, not general traffic statistics.
Common exam traps
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Detailed technical explanation
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
Key takeaway
NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Real-world example
A small business has 20 workstations on the 192.168.1.0/24 network and one public IP from its ISP. The router uses PAT (NAT overload) so all 20 devices share one public address using different source ports. NAT questions test whether you understand the four address terms and which direction each translation applies.
What to study next
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related NSE4 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
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Related practice questions
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
Practise NSE4 questions linked to System and Network Administration.
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Practise NSE4 questions linked to Security Profiles.
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FAQ
High Availability and Diagnostics — This question tests High Availability and Diagnostics — Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address..
The correct answer is: Traffic logs — Traffic logs record information about every session that matches a firewall policy, including source/destination, ports, bytes, and duration. Security logs record IPS, antivirus, web filtering events. Event logs record system events.
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related NSE4 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
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Same concept, more angles
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. Which type of log records information about firewall policy matches, such as allowed or denied traffic?
mediumWhy C: Traffic logs record information about sessions matching firewall policies.
Last reviewed: Jun 21, 2026
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.
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