What Security Device Protects a New Web Portal Service?
An organization recently started hosting a new service that customers access through a web portal. A security engineer needs to add to the existing security devices a new solution to protect this new service. Which of the following is the engineer most likely to deploy?
Community Votes
100% of anonymous learners picked answer C. Votes are pick records left by other test-takers — they are not the verified answer.
Community Insight
The exam tests your ability to match security solutions to specific asset types: a web portal is an application, so a WAF (which protects web applications) is the correct choice, not a general-purpose firewall.
When an organization hosts a customer-facing web portal, a Web Application Firewall (WAF) is the most appropriate solution to protect the service. Community consensus strongly favors WAF over traditional firewalls or UTM devices because WAFs are specifically designed to filter and monitor HTTP/S traffic against web-based attacks.
Choosing NGFW (NGFW) is the most common mistake because it also provides application-level filtering, but it is not as specialized for protecting web applications from attacks like SQL injection and XSS, whereas WAF is explicitly designed for that purpose.
Community Discussion (3 comments)
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Expert Analysis
Why the Answer Is Correct
A WAF (Web Application Firewall) is purpose-built to protect web applications by filtering, monitoring, and blocking HTTP/S traffic. The question describes a web portal that customers access, which is exactly the use case for a WAF. Both community comment [1] and [2] highlight that WAF prevents attacks like SQL injection and cross-site scripting, making it the most logical deployment for the new service.
Why the Other Options Are Wrong
A Layer 4 firewall operates at the transport layer and does not inspect application-layer payloads, so it cannot detect web-specific attacks. An NGFW (Next-Generation Firewall) does include some application awareness, but it is a broader network security device and not as specialized for web application protection as a WAF. A UTM (Unified Threat Management) device combines multiple security functions but again is not specifically optimized for protecting a single web portal as thoroughly as a WAF.
Community Comment Notes
Comment [1] directly explains that WAF is the right answer because it protects web applications from HTTP/S-based attacks. Comment [2] reinforces this by noting WAF sits between the web application and the internet, filtering traffic. Comment [3] succinctly points out 'Portal -> WAF,' indicating the association between web portals and WAF is a key exam trigger. No comments contradict the correct answer.
Official Reference
Exam Strategy
For security deployment questions, identify the type of asset being protected. If the asset is a web application or portal, WAF is almost always the correct answer; reserve NGFW for general network protection and Layer 4 firewalls for basic IP/port filtering.
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