NSE7 Troubleshooting and Diagnostics Practice Question
Exhibit
Refer to the exhibit.
```
config firewall policy
edit 1
set name "Allow Web"
set srcintf "port1"
set dstintf "port2"
set srcaddr "10.0.1.0/24"
set dstaddr "10.0.2.0/24"
set action accept
set schedule "always"
set service "HTTP"
set logtraffic all
next
end
```An administrator applies the above policy but users from 10.0.1.0/24 cannot access web servers at 10.0.2.0/24. However, they can ping the servers. What is the most likely cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often assume 'HTTP' covers all web traffic, but FortiGate strictly matches the defined ports in the service object, so HTTPS (port 443) is blocked unless explicitly permitted.
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
✓
The service 'HTTP' does not include port 443 or the web application is using HTTPS.
The policy allows HTTP traffic (port 80), but the web servers are likely using HTTPS (port 443). Since the service object 'HTTP' in FortiGate typically only includes TCP/80, HTTPS traffic is denied by default. The administrator can ping the servers because ICMP is permitted by an implicit or explicit policy, confirming that routing and connectivity are functional.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
The service 'HTTP' does not include port 443 or the web application is using HTTPS.
Why this is correct
ICMP succeeds because ping is permitted, but the policy's HTTP service object covers only port 80. If the web application serves HTTPS on port 443, that traffic matches no allowing policy and is dropped, blocking access.
- ✗
The destination address is incorrect.
Why it's wrong here
An incorrect destination address would block both HTTP and ICMP, yet ping succeeds, so the address must be reachable and correct. It is tempting because a wrong subnet in the policy does cause silent drops, but that scenario would also prevent the successful ping observed here.
- ✗
The schedule 'always' is not correctly configured.
Why it's wrong here
A misconfigured 'always' schedule would block all traffic including ICMP, contradicting the successful ping. It is tempting because schedule errors cause policy mismatches, but the correct cause must permit ping while denying only the web ports, indicating a service or port issue.
- ✗
The source interface is incorrect.
Why it's wrong here
An incorrect source interface would prevent the policy matching entirely, so ping would also fail; ping succeeding shows traffic arrives and matches. It is tempting because interface mismatches silently drop traffic, but the symptom here isolates the failure to the web service ports.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This NSE7 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 NSE7 exam.