What term refers to a software- or hardware-based system located at the network gateway that protects the resources of a private network from unauthorized access?

What term refers to a software- or hardware-based system located at the network gateway that protects the resources of a private network from unauthorized access?

• A. Firewall
• B. Intrusion Prevention System (IPS)
• C. Software Firewall
• D. Hardware Firewall

Answer: (A)

Firewalls sit at the boundary between networks and enforce who and what can access resources inside the private network. They can be software running on a host or dedicated hardware devices placed at the network gateway. By inspecting traffic and applying access-control rules, they block unauthorized access and protect internal resources. An IPS focuses on detecting and stopping intrusions, which is a related but different role, while software firewall and hardware firewall describe specific implementations; the general term that covers both at the gateway is firewall.

Firewalls sit at the boundary between networks and enforce who and what can access resources inside the private network. They can be software running on a host or dedicated hardware devices placed at the network gateway. By inspecting traffic and applying access-control rules, they block unauthorized access and protect internal resources. An IPS focuses on detecting and stopping intrusions, which is a related but different role, while software firewall and hardware firewall describe specific implementations; the general term that covers both at the gateway is firewall.