Fortinet NSE7_SSE_AD-25 - Fortinet NSE 7 - FortiSASE 25 Enterprise Administrator

In the user connection monitor, the random characters shown for the username indicate that log anonymization is enabled. Log anonymization is a feature that hides the actual user information in the logs for privacy and security reasons. To display proper user information, you need to disable log anonymization.

Log Anonymization:

When log anonymization is turned on, the actual usernames are replaced with random characters to protect user privacy.

This feature can be beneficial in certain environments but can cause issues when detailed user monitoring is required.

Disabling Log Anonymization:

Navigate to the FortiSASE settings.

Locate the log settings section.

Disable the log anonymization feature to ensure that actual usernames are displayed in the logs and user connection monitors.

Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) private access provides the most efficient and secure method for remote users to access a TCP-based application hosted on a private web server. ZTNA ensures that only authenticated and authorized users can access specific applications based on predefined policies, enhancing security and access control.

Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA):

ZTNA operates on the principle of "never trust, always verify," continuously verifying user identity and device security posture before granting access.

It provides secure and granular access to specific applications, ensuring that remote users can securely access the TCP-based application hosted on the private web server.

Secure and Efficient Access:

ZTNA private access allows remote users to connect directly to the application without needing a full VPN tunnel, reducing latency and improving performance.

It ensures that only authorized users can access the application, providing robust security controls.

The unified FortiClient component of FortiSASE facilitates the always-on security measure required for ensuring that all remote user endpoints are always connected and protected.

Unified FortiClient:

FortiClient is a comprehensive endpoint security solution that integrates with FortiSASE to provide continuous protection for remote user endpoints.

It ensures that endpoints are always connected to the FortiSASE infrastructure, even when users are off the corporate network.

Always-On Security:

The unified FortiClient maintains a persistent connection to FortiSASE, enforcing security policies and protecting endpoints against threats at all times.

This ensures compliance with the cybersecurity policy requiring constant connectivity and protection for remote users.

To enable the Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP) feature on FortiSASE, the administrative framework must be established outside of the local SASE instance within the broader FortiCloud ecosystem.

FortiCloud IAM Integration: The FortiSASE MSSP portal relies on FortiCloud Identity & Access Management (IAM) to define the scope of management for internal teams. Administrators do not create local "MSSP users" within the SASE portal itself; instead, they must use the FortiCloud IAM portal to assign specific Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) to IAM users.

Permissions and Scope: These RBAC settings determine which customer tenants (Organizational Units or OUs) an MSSP administrator can view, configure, or monitor. Without the proper role assignment in the IAM portal, the MSSP portal and its multi-tenant viewing capabilities will not be accessible to the user, even if the account has the necessary licenses.

Hierarchical Management: Once RBAC is correctly assigned, the MSSP administrator can leverage the FortiCloud Organizations service to manage multiple customer accounts from a single pane of glass. This centralized approach ensures that security policies and configurations can be standardized across the entire customer base while maintaining strict data isolation between tenants.

According to the FortiSASE 25 Multitenant Deployment Guide, configuring the IAM portal is the primary prerequisite that grants an MSSP internal team the permissions necessary to perform operations on customer FortiSASE tenants.

FortiSASE uses the following components for application control to act as an inline-CASB (Cloud Access Security Broker):

SSL Deep Inspection:

SSL deep inspection is essential for decrypting and inspecting HTTPS traffic to identify and control applications and data transfers within encrypted traffic.

This allows FortiSASE to enforce security policies on SSL/TLS encrypted traffic, providing visibility and control over cloud applications.

Web Filter with Inline-CASB:

The web filter component integrates with inline-CASB to monitor and control access to cloud applications based on predefined security policies.

This combination provides granular control over cloud application usage, ensuring compliance with security policies and preventing unauthorized data transfers.

The distinction between SASE (Secure Access Service Edge) and SSE (Security Service Edge) is a fundamental architectural concept in modern networking and security.

SASE Definition: SASE is a comprehensive framework that converges networking capabilities (specifically SD-WAN) with cloud-native security services (SSE) into a single, unified service model.

SSE Definition: SSE represents the security-focused subset of SASE.4 It encompasses the core security pillars required for secure access, including Secure Web Gateway (SWG), Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB), and Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA).

The Key Differentiator: While both solutions share the same security stack (SWG, CASB, ZTNA), SD-WAN (Software-Defined Wide Area Network) is the specific networking component that exists in a full SASE solution to provide intelligent path selection and optimized connectivity. SSE intentionally excludes these wide-area networking functions, focusing purely on the security service delivery layer.

According to the FortiSASE 25 Enterprise Administrator Study Guide, organizations that already have a robust networking infrastructure and only require a cloud-delivered security overlay would opt for SSE, whereas those seeking a complete transformation of both network and security would deploy a full SASE solution that includes SD-WAN.

According to the NSE7 SASE Enterprise Guide (Pages 64 & 153), FortiSASE utilizes an intelligent engine to manage connectivity to private resources through various selection methods:

Hub Health and Priority: FortiSASE incorporates a built-in SD-WAN engine for intelligent routing selection among established IPsec links. The health check IP address periodically receives performance metrics, including jitter, latency, and packet loss, for each service connection. In this mode, FortiSASE evaluates the available hubs and selects the one with the highest priority (the most preferred value) within each POP, provided that the hub meets the defined service-level agreement (SLA) requirements. For this configuration to function correctly, both FortiSASE and the SPA hub must use the same Autonomous System Number (ASN).

BGP Multiple Exit Discriminator (MED): This method leverages the standard BGP MED attribute, which allows an autonomous system to signal its preferred entry point to a peer. FortiSASE learns the MED values advertised by the configured hubs. The architecture is designed so that the lower the MED value, the more preferred the path is to the receiving router. Consistent with the "Zero Trust" and "Secure Access" principles, even when using BGP MED, the selection is gated by the health engine; therefore, the hub is only selected if it also satisfies the configured SLA thresholds.

While SLA thresholds can be configured, the primary logic for hub selection focuses on how priority and dynamic routing attributes (like MED) interact with the real-time health of the tunnel.

1. DLP Data Pattern

2. DLP Dictionary

3. DLP Sensor

4. DLP Profile

The FortiSASE Data Loss Prevention (DLP) framework follows a hierarchical object-oriented structure. When creating a custom DLP rule using Regular Expressions (Regex), the administrator must build the components from the most granular level upward to the policy level.

DLP Data Pattern: This is the first step where the actual Regex string is defined. The pattern specifies what specific data string (e.g., a specific credit card format or employee ID) the engine should look for.

DLP Dictionary: Once the pattern is created, it must be added to a Dictionary. The dictionary acts as a container that groups one or more data patterns together for easier management.

DLP Sensor: The dictionary is then linked to a DLP Sensor. Within the sensor, you define the "Rule" which specifies the dictionary to use and the action to take (such as block, log, or quarantine) when a match occurs.

DLP Profile: Finally, the sensor is applied to a DLP Profile. This profile is the high-level object that is ultimately selected within a FortiSASE Security Policy to inspect traffic for sensitive data.

FortiSASE supports zero trust network access (ZTNA) principles by identifying attributes on the endpoint for security posture checks. ZTNA principles require continuous verification of user and device credentials, as well as their security posture, before granting access to network resources.

Security Posture Check:

FortiSASE can evaluate the security posture of endpoints by checking for compliance with security policies, such as antivirus status, patch levels, and configuration settings.

This ensures that only compliant and secure devices are granted access to the network.

Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA):

ZTNA is based on the principle of "never trust, always verify," which requires continuous assessment of user and device trustworthiness.

FortiSASE plays a crucial role in implementing ZTNA by performing these security posture checks and enforcing access control policies.