Which of the following can provide security against man-in-the-middle attack?

Strong end-to-end encryption (such as TLS/SSL) protects against man-in-the-middle attacks by ensuring that even if an attacker intercepts the data in transit, they cannot read or alter it without the cryptographic keys. Integrity checks embedded in protocols like TLS also detect any tampering with encrypted payloads, making MITM exploitation ineffective.

A firewall filters traffic at network boundaries based on rules but cannot decrypt or inspect encrypted sessions to detect an attacker who has already positioned themselves between two communicating parties.

Anti-virus programs detect and remove malware on endpoints but provide no mechanism to detect or prevent interception of network communications occurring between systems.

Strong authentication verifies identity at the time of login but does not protect the confidentiality or integrity of data transmitted after authentication, leaving sessions vulnerable to interception if traffic is not also encrypted.