Quick Answer
The answer is no inspection. This is correct because the firewall can distinguish HTTP from HTTPS purely by port number—HTTP uses port 80 and HTTPS uses port 443—so no decryption of encrypted traffic is needed to enforce the policy. SSL inspection is only required when you need to examine the encrypted payload of HTTPS traffic for threats or data leakage, not to simply allow or block based on the protocol. On the Fortinet NSE 4 exam, this question tests your understanding that SSL inspection methods like full or certificate inspection are for deep packet inspection, not for basic port-based access control. A common trap is assuming you must inspect HTTPS to allow it, but the exam emphasizes that blocking by port is a layer-4 decision. Memory tip: “Ports decide, inspection refines”—if you’re only blocking or allowing by protocol, keep inspection off.
This NSE4 practice question tests your understanding of security profiles. 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.
A company wants to block all HTTP traffic but allow HTTPS. Which SSL inspection method should be used on the firewall policy?
No inspection
No inspection allows HTTPS to pass through without decryption.
Deep inspection
Why wrong: Deep inspection is another term for full SSL inspection; not needed.
Full SSL inspection
Why wrong: Full inspection decrypts HTTPS, which is not needed if blocking only HTTP.
Certificate inspection
Why wrong: Certificate inspection decrypts the certificate but not the payload; unnecessary overhead.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
No inspection
To block HTTP (port 80) while allowing HTTPS (port 443), no SSL inspection is needed because the firewall can distinguish traffic by port number alone. SSL inspection is only required when you need to examine the encrypted payload of HTTPS traffic, not to permit or deny it based on the protocol. Therefore, 'No inspection' is correct for this access control requirement.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
No inspection
Why this is correct
No inspection allows HTTPS to pass through without decryption.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Deep inspection
Why it's wrong here
Deep inspection is another term for full SSL inspection; not needed.
Full SSL inspection
Why it's wrong here
Full inspection decrypts HTTPS, which is not needed if blocking only HTTP.
Certificate inspection
Why it's wrong here
Certificate inspection decrypts the certificate but not the payload; unnecessary overhead.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates assume HTTPS traffic must be inspected to be allowed, but the firewall can permit or deny based on the destination port without any SSL inspection at all.
Detailed technical explanation
Under the hood, a firewall policy rule can match on TCP destination port 80 (HTTP) and set action to DENY, while a separate rule matches port 443 (HTTPS) and sets action to ACCEPT, all without any SSL inspection profile. SSL inspection methods like deep inspection require installing a CA certificate on clients to perform man-in-the-middle decryption, which is only necessary for content filtering, DLP, or threat prevention within encrypted streams. In real-world scenarios, using deep inspection unnecessarily can cause performance degradation and compatibility issues with certificate pinning.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A security administrator must allow nursing staff to reach a patient records server while blocking access from the guest Wi-Fi VLAN. After applying an extended ACL, traffic is still blocked from nursing workstations. The ACL was applied outbound instead of inbound on the wrong interface. Questions like this test ACL direction and placement rules.
What to study next
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Security Profiles — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Security Profiles — This question tests Security Profiles — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: No inspection — To block HTTP (port 80) while allowing HTTPS (port 443), no SSL inspection is needed because the firewall can distinguish traffic by port number alone. SSL inspection is only required when you need to examine the encrypted payload of HTTPS traffic, not to permit or deny it based on the protocol. Therefore, 'No inspection' is correct for this access control requirement.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 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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