A security team is evaluating new perimeter security solutions to replace their traditional firewall. The primary goal is to gain visibility into and control over the specific web applications being used (e.g., social media, streaming services) and to block threats that leverage application-layer protocols. Which of the following firewall types is specifically designed to meet these requirements?
The correct choice is a Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW). NGFWs are advanced firewalls that operate up to Layer 7 (the application layer) of the OSI model. Unlike traditional firewalls that are limited to inspecting traffic based on ports and IP addresses (Layers 3 and 4), NGFWs can perform deep packet inspection (DPI) to identify the specific applications in use and enforce security policies on them. They also integrate other security features like an intrusion prevention system (IPS) to block application-layer attacks. Stateless and stateful firewalls are older technologies that lack this deep application awareness. A circuit-level gateway operates at the session layer (Layer 5) and does not inspect application content.
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What are the main features of a Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW)?
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What is the difference between a regular firewall and a Next-Generation Firewall?