
FortiGate Session Helper SIP Break: diagnose sys session helper When Phones Register and Media Dies
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read

Phones register. One-way audio. Disabling SIP ALG on a consumer router is not an option — this is a FortiGate.
This is a live-ticket style lesson from Techclick Infosec. You will isolate the fault with CLI first, then prove the fix with one clean packet or log.
What you will be able to do
Name the first CLI command to run on FortiGate for this ticket
Separate the layer that is actually broken from the layer people blame
Apply one scoped fix instead of a global disable
Prove the ticket closed with a session, log, or counter
Quick answer
SIP session-helper or VoIP profile is rewriting SDP wrong, or RTP is not expected. Diagnose the helper and the VoIP profile before you NAT more ports.
Why this ticket shows up
SIP helpers open expected RTP ports from SDP. A broken helper or double-NAT leaves RTP on a port the firewall never opened.
Symptoms operators actually see
Register 200 OK, no audio
One-way audio to PSTN
SIP helper enabled plus a VoIP profile
Works on a SIP-ALG-free test path
CLI first — copy this block
Run these on the FortiGate device or console named in the ticket. Do not skip the first show command — it tells you which later command matters.
show system session-helper | grep -A2 sip
config system session-helper
diagnose sys session filter dport 5060
diagnose sys session list
diagnose debug application sip -1How to read that output
If both the old session-helper and a VoIP profile are active, they can fight. Pick one inspection method. SDP inside the debug must show reachable RTP IPs.
Triage order
See if session-helper 13 (SIP) is enabled
See if the policy uses a VoIP profile
Disable the overlapping method
Confirm RTP ports in the session table
Retest a call
Classic traps
What you see | Real cause | Fix |
Open 10000-20000 to the world | Helper should open them dynamically | Fix SDP/NAT |
Disable SIP entirely | You need one inspector | Choose helper or VoIP profile |
Blame the carrier | On-net calls also one-way | It is the firewall |
Proof the ticket is closed
Two-way audio
RTP sessions appear
Only one SIP inspector is on
Say this in an interview
One-way audio with a good REGISTER is SDP/RTP, not registration. I look at the SIP helper first.
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