Which of the following devices is designed to monitor and filter incoming and outgoing network traffic?

A switch connects devices within a local area network (LAN) and forwards data packets only to the intended destination, but it does not monitor or filter traffic based on security rules.

An access point allows wireless devices to connect to a wired network but does not inherently monitor or filter traffic for security purposes.

A firewall is a network security device, either hardware or software-based, that monitors and controls incoming and outgoing network traffic based on an established set of security rules. Its primary function is to create a barrier between a trusted internal network and untrusted external networks, filtering traffic to prevent unauthorized access or malicious data from entering or leaving the network.

A hub is an outdated networking device that broadcasts all incoming data to all connected devices, offering no traffic monitoring or filtering capabilities.