The Check Point Security Gateway's virtual machine (kernel) exists between which two layers of the OSI model?

The Session layer (Layer 5) and Network layer (Layer 3) are not adjacent in the OSI model, and the Check Point kernel does not reside between these non-contiguous layers.

The Application (Layer 7) and Presentation (Layer 6) layers are the topmost OSI layers; the low-level firewall kernel operates far below these layers in the stack.

The Physical layer (Layer 1) deals with raw hardware signal transmission; the Check Point kernel is a software component that operates above the physical hardware, not between the Physical and Data Link layers.

Check Point positions its virtual machine kernel between OSI Layer 2 (Data Link) and Layer 3 (Network), intercepting IP packets before the host operating system's IP stack processes them. This placement allows the INSPECT engine to evaluate every packet against the security rule base at the lowest practical software layer, ensuring no traffic bypasses inspection.