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NSE4 · Question #530

What action does an IPsec Gateway take with the user traffic routed to an IPsec VPN when it does not match any phase 2 quick mode selector?

The correct answer is A. Traffic is dropped. If user traffic is routed to an IPsec VPN but does not match any configured Phase 2 Quick Mode selectors, the IPsec Gateway will drop that traffic, as it cannot be encrypted or tunneled according to the established security association.

Submitted by zhang_li· Apr 18, 2026VPN and Routing

Question

What action does an IPsec Gateway take with the user traffic routed to an IPsec VPN when it does not match any phase 2 quick mode selector?

Options

  • ATraffic is dropped
  • BTraffic is routed across the default phase 2.
  • CTraffic is routed to the next available route in the routing table.
  • DTraffic is routed unencrypted to the interface where the IPsec VPN is terminating.

How the community answered

(39 responses)
  • A
    87% (34)
  • B
    3% (1)
  • C
    8% (3)
  • D
    3% (1)

Why each option

If user traffic is routed to an IPsec VPN but does not match any configured Phase 2 Quick Mode selectors, the IPsec Gateway will drop that traffic, as it cannot be encrypted or tunneled according to the established security association.

ATraffic is droppedCorrect

Phase 2 selectors define the specific subnets and ports that are permitted to traverse the IPsec tunnel; if traffic does not match these selectors, the FortiGate cannot establish a Security Association (SA) for it and therefore drops the non-matching traffic for security reasons.

BTraffic is routed across the default phase 2.

There is no concept of a 'default phase 2' that would catch all unmatching traffic; each Phase 2 must have explicit selectors.

CTraffic is routed to the next available route in the routing table.

Once traffic is directed to an IPsec VPN, the routing decision is to use the tunnel; if the traffic doesn't match Phase 2 selectors, it's a security policy failure, not a routing table lookup for an alternative path.

DTraffic is routed unencrypted to the interface where the IPsec VPN is terminating.

Routing traffic unencrypted when it was intended for an IPsec VPN would be a severe security breach and is not a default behavior; the FortiGate will enforce the policy to either encrypt or drop.

Concept tested: IPsec Phase 2 selector matching

Source: https://docs.fortinet.com/document/fortigate/7.4.0/administration-guide/526725/quick-mode-selectors

Topics

#IPsec VPN#Phase 2 Selector#Traffic Handling#FortiGate VPN

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