NSE5_SSE_AD-7.6 Fortinet NSE 5 - FortiSASE and SD-WAN 7.6 Core Administrator Questions and Answers

According to theSD-WAN 7.6 Core Administratorstudy guide and theFortiOS 7.6 Administration Guide, for the FortiGate SD-WAN engine to successfully steer traffic using SD-WAN rules, three fundamental configuration components must be in place. This is because the SD-WAN rule lookup occurs only after certain initial conditions are met in the packet flow:

Interfaces (Option C):You must first define the physical or logical interfaces (such as ISP links, LTE, or VPN tunnels) asSD-WAN members. These members are then typically grouped intoSD-WAN Zones. Without designated member interfaces, there is no "pool" of links for the SD-WAN rules to select from.

Routing (Option D):For a packet to even be considered by the SD-WAN engine, there must be a matching route in theForwarding Information Base (FIB). Usually, this is a static route where the destination is the network you want to reach, and the gateway interface is set to theSD-WAN virtual interface(or a specific SD-WAN zone). If there is no route pointing to SD-WAN, the FortiGate will use other routing table entries (like a standard static route) and bypass the SD-WAN rule-based steering logic entirely.

Firewall Policies (Option A):In FortiOS, no traffic is allowed to pass through the device unless aFirewall Policypermits it. To steer traffic, you must have a policy where theIncoming Interfaceis the internal network and theOutgoing Interfaceis the SD-WAN zone (or the virtual-wan-link). The SD-WAN rule selection happens during the "Dirty" session state, which requires a policy match to proceed with the session creation.

Why other options are incorrect:

Security Profiles (Option B):While mandatory forApplication-levelsteering (to identify L7 signatures), basic SD-WAN steering based on IP addresses, ports, or ISDB objects does not require security profiles to be active.

Traffic Shaping (Option E):This is an optimization feature used to manage bandwidth once steering is already determined; it is not a prerequisite for the steering engine itself to function.

Based on theFortiSASE 7.6 (and later 2025 versions)curriculum and administration guides, the Vulnerability summary dashboard is a key component of the endpoint security posture management.

Drill Down Capability (Option C): According to theFortiSASE Administration Guide, the Vulnerability summary widget on the Security dashboard is interactive. An administrator can click on specific risk categories (e.g., Critical, High) or application types (e.g., Operating System, Web Client) todrill down. This action opens a detailed pane showing the specific affected endpoints, associatedCVE identifiers, and severity classifications based on the CVSS standard.

Automatic Vulnerability Patching (Option D): In theFortiSASE 7.6/2025feature sets, the endpoint profile configuration (underEndpoint > Configuration > Profiles) includes an "Automatic Patching" section. This feature allows the system to automatically install security updates for supported third-party applications and the underlying operating system (Windows/macOS) when vulnerabilities are detected. Furthermore, administrators can schedule these patches directly from theVulnerability Summarywidget by selecting specific vulnerabilities.

Why other options are incorrect:

Option A: The dashboard categories (Operating System, Web Client, Microsoft Office, etc.) are based on known software signatures. While there is an "Other" category, the dashboard primarily provides scores for recognized applications where CVE data is available.

Option B: The exhibit shows active data (157 total vulnerabilities), which indicates that thevulnerability scan is enabledand currently reporting data from the endpoints. If it were disabled, the widget would be empty or show zeros.

In theSD-WAN 7.6 Core Administratorcurriculum, steering "local-out" traffic (traffic generated by the FortiGate itself, such as DNS queries, FortiGuard updates, or diagnostic pings) requires specific configuration because this traffic follows a different path than "forward" traffic.

Individual Configuration (Option A): By default, local-out traffic bypasses the SD-WAN engine and uses the standard system routing table (RIB/FIB). To use SD-WAN rules for specific features like DNS or RADIUS, you must individually enable the sdwan interface-select-method within that feature's configuration (e.g., config system dns or config user radius).

Default Steerable Traffic (Option B): In FortiOS 7.6, while most local-out traffic is excluded from SD-WAN by default, the system is designed so that when SD-WAN is active, it primarily considers SD-WAN rules for specific diagnostic local-out traffic—specificallypingandtraceroute—to allow administrators to verify path quality using the same logic as user traffic.

Why other options are incorrect:

Option C: Local-out traffic can be steered using any SD-WAN strategy (Manual, Best Quality, etc.), provided the interface-selection-method is set to sdwan.

According to theSD-WAN 7.6 Core Administratorstudy guide and theFortinet Document Library, FortiOS maintains strict referential integrity for SD-WAN objects. An SD-WAN member interface cannot be deleted or removed from the configuration if it is still being "used" or referenced by other features.

Reference Locking: In the FortiOS GUI, the "Delete" button for an SD-WAN member is typically grayed out or an error message appears if the interface is part of an active service or monitoring tool.

Performance SLA Dependency: Performance SLAs (health checks) monitor specific member interfaces. If an interface is a participant in an SLA, it is considered "active" by the system. Therefore, a critical first step in the decommissioning process is toremove the member from all Performance SLA definitions. Once the health check is no longer polling that interface, one major reference lock is released.

Other Dependencies: While firewall policies and SD-WAN rules (service rules) also create references, the question specifies the member is "no longer used to steer traffic," implying it may have already been removed from steering rules. However, Performance SLAs often remain active in the background, making their removal the essential next step to permit the deletion of the member itself.

Why other options are incorrect:

Option A: Moving a member between zones doesn't help you delete it; it just changes its logical grouping. It still remains an active SD-WAN member.

Option B: Disabling the physical interface does not remove the configuration references within the SD-WAN engine. The FortiGate will simply report the member as "Down," but it will still exist in the configuration as a member.

Option D: In modern SD-WAN deployments, static routes usually point to theSD-WAN Zone(like virtual-wan-link) rather than individual physical interfaces. Therefore, you don't typically need to delete the static route to remove a single member from the zone.

According to theFortiSASE 7.6 Administration Guideand theFCP - FortiSASE 24/25 Administratorcurriculum, FortiSASE is designed with a hybrid deployment architecture to support various user and device requirements. It primarily operates in two modes:

Endpoint Mode (Agent-based): This mode requires the installation ofFortiClienton the user's laptop or device. The agent establishes an "always-up" secure VPN tunnel to the nearest FortiSASE Point of Presence (PoP), providing full Secure Internet Access (SIA), Secure Private Access (SPA), and endpoint posture checks (ZTNA).

Secure Web Gateway (SWG) Mode (Agentless): This mode is used for users or devices where installing an agent is not feasible (e.g., unmanaged devices or Chromebooks). It relies on explicit web proxy settings or a PAC (Proxy Auto-Configuration) file to redirect web traffic (HTTP/HTTPS) to the SASE PoP for inspection.

Why other options are incorrect:

Option A: While it supports VPN, "VPN mode" is not the formal name of the deployment type; it is "Endpoint mode".

Option C: FortiSASE is not limited to SWG; it is a full SSE (Security Service Edge) solution including FWaaS and ZTNA.

Option D: ZTNA is a capability within the platform, not a replacement for the overall endpoint or SWG functions.

TheFortiSASE 7.6 Administration Guideoutlines the standard onboarding procedures for deploying theFortiClientagent to remote endpoints. There are two primary user-facing delivery methods:

Download from the FortiSASE portal (Option B):Administrators can provide users with access to the FortiSASE portal where they can directly download apre-configured installer. This installer is uniquely tied to the organization’s SASE instance, ensuring the client automatically registers to the correct cloud EMS upon installation.

Invitation Email (Option C):This is the most common administrative method. The FortiSASE portal (via its integrated EMS) allows administrators to send an invitation email to specific users or groups. This email contains direct download links for various operating systems (Windows, macOS, Linux) and the necessary invitation code for zero-touch registration.

Why other options are incorrect:

Option A:While third-party stores (like the App Store or Google Play) are used for mobile devices, "zero-touch installation through a third-party store" is not the standard curriculum-defined method forlaptops(Windows/macOS) in a SASE environment.

Option D:FortiSASE does not use a direct "API to the user's laptop" for automatic installation. While MDM/GPO (centralized deployment) is supported, it is not described as an API-based auto-installation in the core curriculum.

According to theSD-WAN 7.6 Core Administratorcurriculum, to implement an SD-WAN solution that ensures high network availability for business-critical applications while managing costs, the administrator mustconfigure at least two WAN links.

SD-WAN Fundamentals: SD-WAN operates by creating a virtual overlay across multiple physical or logical transport links (e.g., broadband, LTE, MPLS). Without at least two links, the SD-WAN engine has no alternative path to steer traffic toward if the primary link fails or degrades.

Cost Management: By using multiple links, administrators can implement theLowest Cost (SLA)orMaximize Bandwidthstrategies. This allows the site to use a low-cost broadband connection for primary traffic and only failover to a "pay-per-use" backup (like LTE) when the primary link's quality falls below the defined SLA target.

High Availability (Link Level): While a "High Availability (HA) cluster" (Option C) provides device redundancy (protecting against a hardware failure of the FortiGate itself), it does not address link redundancy or steering, which are the core functions of SD-WAN for application uptime.

Why other options are incorrect:

Option A: Using a mid-range device refers to hardware capacity but does not solve the requirement for link-level redundancy and cost-steering logic.

Option B: Dynamic routing (like BGP or OSPF) is often usedwithSD-WAN in large topologies, but for a small site, the primary mechanism for meeting availability and cost goals is the configuration of the SD-WAN member links and rules themselves.

Option C: HA clusters protect against hardware failure, but the question specifically asks about ensuring availability forapplicationswhile limitingbackup link costs, which is a traffic-steering (SD-WAN) requirement rather than a hardware-redundancy requirement.