An administrator needs three distinct security zones in a company's network. Which of the following is the administrator MOST likely to implement?

Host-based firewalls protect individual machines but do not provide network-wide segmentation or enforce policies between distinct network zones at the perimeter or internal segmentation points.

A Layer 3 firewall (also known as a network firewall or packet filtering firewall) operates at the network layer of the OSI model, allowing it to segment a network into distinct security zones (e.g., LAN, DMZ, WAN) based on IP addresses and ports. This type of firewall enforces traffic policies between these zones, controlling what can pass between them and providing the necessary isolation for different security requirements.

A web application firewall (WAF) is designed to protect web applications from specific web-based attacks (like SQL injection, XSS) and operates at Layer 7 (Application layer), not for general network segmentation into distinct security zones.

A circuit-based firewall (or stateful firewall) monitors TCP connection handshakes and decides whether to permit or deny connections, but it's a type of firewall functionality rather than the primary mechanism for establishing broad network security zones like a Layer 3 network firewall.