Analyze the "Send to Application Layer" Message:
The most critical line in the debug output is: id=65308 ... func=av_receive ... msg="send to application layer"
Meaning: This message indicates that the FortiGate kernel is handing the packet over to a user-space daemon (specifically the WAD/Proxy process, indicated by av_receive handlers) for deep inspection.
Implication: This behavior is the hallmark of Proxy-based inspection. In Flow-based inspection, the traffic is handled by the IPS engine (often within the kernel or via specific IPS handlers like ips_measure), and you would not typically see a "send to application layer" message for standard web filtering.
Evaluate Option B (Firewall Policy Mode):
Since the traffic is being sent to the application layer proxy, the Firewall Policy controlling this traffic (Policy ID 1, as seen in Allowed by Policy-1) must be configured with Inspection Mode = Proxy. If it were Flow-based, the traffic would stay in the flow path. Thus, Option B is correct.
Evaluate Option C (Web Filter Profile Mode):
In FortiOS, when a firewall policy is set to Proxy-based inspection, the security profiles (like Web Filter) applied to that policy also operate in Proxy-based inspection mode. The presence of the av_receive function confirms that the content inspection (Web Filter/AV) is being performed by the proxy engine. Thus, Option C is correct.
Why Option A is Incorrect (NPU Offload):
The output shows npu_state=0x100. In the context of a flow trace where traffic is being "sent to application layer," this confirms the session is not fully offloaded to the NPU (Network Processor). Offloaded traffic (Fast Path) is handled by the hardware and would not generate these specific CPU-level debug logs for the payload inspection phase. The proxying process requires CPU intervention.
Why Option D is Incorrect (Port Mapping):
While valid protocol mapping is necessary for inspection, the specific debug output shown is a direct result of the Inspection Mode (Proxy vs. Flow). The observation of the traffic moving to the application layer is primarily caused by the policy and profile mode settings, making B and C the direct "observations" derived from the log data.
[Reference:, , FortiGate Troubleshooting (Debug Flow): "If the debug flow shows msg='send to application layer', it confirms the traffic is being handled by the proxy (WAD) for Proxy-based inspection.", , ]
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