A company uses SSL VPN with FortiGate for remote access. Users report that after connecting, they can access internal web servers but cannot ping them. Which configuration is most likely missing?
The firewall policy for SSL VPN traffic must permit ICMP protocol in addition to TCP/80 and TCP/443.
Why this answer
SSL VPN tunnels typically allow TCP-based traffic like HTTP/HTTPS to internal web servers, but ICMP (ping) is a separate protocol that requires explicit permission in the firewall policy. Without a firewall policy rule permitting ICMP from the SSL VPN interface to the internal network, the FortiGate will drop the ping requests, even though the tunnel is established and other traffic flows.
Exam trap
The trap here is that candidates assume split tunneling or DNS is the cause, but the real issue is that ICMP is a separate protocol that must be explicitly permitted in the firewall policy, unlike TCP-based web traffic.
How to eliminate wrong answers
Option A is wrong because split tunneling controls whether traffic to the internet goes through the VPN tunnel or directly, not the ability to ping internal servers; it does not affect ICMP traffic to internal resources. Option B is wrong because the SSL VPN web portal settings define the web-based interface and bookmarks for users, not the underlying firewall rules that govern ICMP or other protocols. Option D is wrong because DNS server configuration resolves hostnames to IP addresses, but the issue is that ping fails even when using the IP address, indicating a lack of ICMP permission rather than name resolution.