The Complete Guide to Acing Fortinet Interview Questions in 2023

Preparing for a job interview in the cybersecurity domain can feel daunting, especially when dealing with niche technologies like Fortinet. This American corporation has cemented itself as an industry leader in the network security and threat management space.

If you have an upcoming Fortinet interview, this comprehensive guide will help you ace the most commonly asked Fortinet questions. I have researched and curated a list of the top technical and HR interview questions, along with detailed sample responses

Whether you are a fresher just starting your cybersecurity career or a seasoned professional exploring new opportunities, reviewing these questions will boost your confidence. Let’s get started!

Understanding Fortinet’s Product Suite

Most Fortinet interviews will test your knowledge of their core product offerings. Familiarize yourself with the capabilities of the following solutions:

FortiGate Network Firewalls

The FortiGate line of network security devices is Fortinet’s flagship product. It integrates vital security functions like firewalling VPN, antivirus intrusion prevention and application control into a single platform. Key features include

• Multi-layered protection across networks, endpoints and the cloud
• Ability to inspect SSL-encrypted traffic
• AI-driven threat intelligence
• Responsive performance with purpose-built security processors

When asked about your opinion of FortiGate, highlight its consolidated approach to security and negligible performance impact.

FortiManager and FortiAnalyzer

These centralized management and analytics tools provide visibility and control across Fortinet deployments. Talk about their scalability, single-pane-of-glass interface and automation capabilities.

FortiSandbox and FortiWeb

FortiSandbox offers advanced threat protection by executing suspicious files and code in isolation. FortiWeb specializes in defending web applications from attacks and data breaches.

FortiMail

This is Fortinet’s email security solution, featuring robust anti-spam, antivirus and data leak prevention.

FortiSIEM

As a security information and event management system, FortiSIEM aggregates logs and alerts to identify threats. It complements the core FortiGate firewalls.

What is Fortinet’s Security Fabric?

Security Fabric is a key part of Fortinet’s product vision and strategy. It allows different security tools to share intelligence and coordinate responses in real-time. The interviewer may ask you to define Security Fabric and its components:

• It provides broad visibility across the entire digital attack surface, both within and outside traditional network perimeters.

• Fortinet leverages open APIs and integrations to enable different security devices to communicate and operate as a unified whole, instead of isolated point products.

• Core innovations like silicon-powered performance, deception technology, machine learning and automation enables the Security Fabric to dynamically adapt and evolve with the threat landscape.

Highlight how this fabric-based approach delivers integrated, automated and adaptive security.

Understanding UTM and NGFWs

• UTM or Unified Threat Management solutions consolidate multiple security capabilities like anti-malware, web filtering, VPN, data loss prevention etc into a single integrated platform. This simplifies management and reduces costs compared to maintaining multiple standalone security tools.

• NGFWs or Next Generation Firewalls retain all the features of traditional stateful firewalls while adding application awareness, user identity control, intrusion prevention and sandboxing. This provides deeper traffic inspection and threat protection.

Compare and contrast UTM and NGFW approaches to security. Explain how Fortinet leverages both ideas in its product portfolio.

Key Differences: Traditional vs Next-Gen Firewalls

Be ready to articulate the limitations of traditional firewalls and how NGFWs evolved to address them:

• Traditional firewalls operate at layer 3 and 4 of the OSI model while NGFWs work across layers 2-7 for better application visibility.

• NGFWs analyze full packet payloads, going beyond just inspecting packet headers.

• They can identify users and control access based on dynamic identity policies. Traditional firewalls lack this functionality.

• NGFWs integrate additional threat detection engines like IPS, antivirus, sandboxing etc. making them better suited for today’s advanced threats.

Fortinet’s Offerings for Email Security

Given the persistent threat of phishing, malware and spam, candidates must demonstrate expertise in securing enterprise email:

• FortiMail offers complete content-level inspection of SMTP traffic by operating as an email proxy or relay.

• It can implement identity-based access controls and uses hundreds of heuristics for accurate spam detection.

• The sandboxing feature detects unknown and targeted threats contained in attachments and URLs.

• FortiMail also enables DLP, encryption and advanced analytics like sender reputation scoring.

Discuss how to leverage these capabilities for a layered email defense.

How Does Fortinet Support Secure Remote Access?

Remote work has become commonplace and this expands the attack surface. Explain Fortinet’s approach to securing VPN access:

• FortiGate firewalls support both site-to-site and remote access IPSec and SSL VPN capabilities. This allows secure tunneling for employees, third parties and customers.

• Client reputation scoring identifies compromised end user devices attempting to connect.

• FortiClient endpoint agents validate devices before granting VPN access.

• AI-powered FortiSandbox technology is integrated to detect zero-day threats introduced through remote access channels.

Fortinet’s Stance on Encryption and Privacy

The use of strong encryption is crucial yet controversial. Demonstrate your understanding of legal and ethical obligations:

• Fortinet advocates responsible data protections and enables features like TLS inspection via approved methods only.

• Its offerings allow regulated industries to comply with laws related to lawful interception and data handover.

• However, Fortinet refuses to provide backdoors or compromise on general encryption standards.

Share your thoughts on empowering security teams without weakening privacy.

How Does Fortinet Ensure Top Performance?

What sets Fortinet firewalls apart is their ability to deliver security at industry-leading speeds. Highlight these architectural choices:

• Custom FortiASIC processors offload compute-intensive security functions.

• The FortiOS operating system is purpose-built for security with a compact code footprint.

• AI acceleration via NP CPUs ensures real-time threat intelligence integration without latency issues.

• Fortinet supports parallel processing, load balancing and clustering for horizontal scaling.

For large enterprises with demanding workloads, FortiGate’s performance advantage is a key selling point.

Understanding Threat Management

Threat management refers to the techniques and solutions for defending against cyberattacks and mitigating damage. Discuss Fortinet’s threat management capabilities:

• FortiGate platforms integrate firewalling, intrusion prevention, antivirus, web filtering and sandboxing for multi-layered threat prevention.

• FortiAnalyzer provides IOC-based threat detection by mining event data.

• FortiSIEM uses advanced correlation rules to pinpoint sophisticated attacks.

• FortiSandbox offers isolated execution and inspection of suspicious files/code.

• Response playbooks and SOAR integration enables quick containment of detected threats.

Key Characteristics of Fortinet as a Company

It helps to know about your potential employer’s history and ethos. Share the following facts:

• Founded in 2000 by Ken and Michael Xie, Fortinet is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California and has over 7000 employees globally.

• With over 5 lakh customers, Fortinet defines itself as a global cybersecurity leader.

• The company has a strong focus on innovation evident through its 1000+ security patents.

• Fortinet stresses building an inclusive, diverse team of “security pioneers”.

• Its Network Security Expert (NSE) Institute fosters cybersecurity training and certification.

This demonstrates your understanding of Fortinet’s business background and cultural values.

Following Best Practices for Fortinet Deployments

Candidates should exhibit awareness of real-world security considerations and best practices when working with Fortinet products:

• Maintain scheduled backups of critical system files like firmware, licenses and configuration.

• Segment networks into zones and use firewall policies to impose need-based restrictions on lateral movement.

• Install FortiClient endpoint agents to enforce device compliance.

• Regularly patch and upgrade FortiOS/AV definitions for up-to-date protection.

• Tune IPS policies to reduce false positives based on application behavior baselining.

• Review logs in FortiAnalyzer for anomalies and threats. Set up alerts for critical events.

Share examples of how you ensured reliable and optimal operations while deploying Fortinet firewalls and affiliated tools. This conveys your hands-on experience.

Final Thoughts on Fortinet Interview Preparation

With cyber threats constantly evolving, Fortinet’s Security-Driven Networking approach is empowering organizations worldwide to achieve true digital trust. I hope reviewing these popular Fortinet interview questions has provided you insights into positioning yourself as an ideal candidate. Use the sample responses as a starting point but relate them to your background.

At the interview, listen carefully to each question, seek clarification if required and give detailed but concise answers. Be prepared to have an intelligent discussion around cyber risks, regulatory obligations, technical debt and budgetary constraints. With some practice and confidence, you can excel at your upcoming Fortinet job interview!