Which capability is required for a next-generation firewall to protect your network against malware threats?

Question

Options

• Acan access/read Windows and Linux file systems
• Bcan scan all endpoint devices
• Ccan interpret file permissions
• Dcan perform SSL decryption

• A
  4% (2)
• B
  2% (1)
• C
  2% (1)
• D
  91% (41)

Explanation

SSL decryption (option D) is essential because modern malware increasingly hides within encrypted HTTPS traffic - without the ability to decrypt and inspect SSL/TLS sessions, a firewall is blind to threats concealed inside encrypted payloads. NGFWs perform SSL inspection by acting as a man-in-the-middle, decrypting traffic, scanning it for malware, then re-encrypting it before forwarding.

Why the distractors are wrong:

• A (Windows/Linux file systems): File system access is an endpoint or EDR function, not a network firewall capability - firewalls operate on network traffic, not local storage.
• B (scan all endpoint devices): Scanning endpoints is the role of antivirus/EDR solutions; a firewall sits at the network boundary and does not reach into devices.
• C (interpret file permissions): File permissions are an OS-level access control mechanism, entirely unrelated to network traffic inspection.

Memory tip: Think of SSL decryption as giving the firewall "X-ray vision" - without it, encrypted tunnels are opaque boxes that malware can freely pass through. If the firewall can't see inside the traffic, it can't protect against what's hidden there.

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