The transfer of encrypted files or the use of encrypted protocols between users and servers on the internet can frustrate the efforts of administrators attempting to monitor traffic passing through…

The FortiGate's SSL/TLS inspection (often referred to as an SSL proxy) functionality allows it to decrypt encrypted traffic, inspect its content for threats or policy violations, and then re-encrypt it before forwarding, enabling control over encrypted protocols.

Data Leak Prevention (DLP) can be configured to detect and block the transmission of encrypted files based on their file type signatures (e.g., specific headers or metadata indicating encryption), even if the content cannot be read without decryption.

Firewall authentication ensures that only authorized users can pass traffic through the firewall, but it does not inherently prevent or control the *type* of encrypted protocols those authenticated users choose to employ once access is granted.

Application Control can identify and monitor the use of specific encrypted protocols (e.g., SSH, HTTPS, various VPN applications) by analyzing traffic patterns and port numbers, allowing administrators to enforce policies, log usage, or generate alerts without full content decryption.