Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) — Question 437

Which of the following types of firewall only examines the "handshaking" between packets before forwarding traffic?

Answer options

• A. Proxy firewalls
• B. Circuit-level firewalls
• C. Network Address Translation (NAT) firewalls
• D. Host-based firewalls

Correct answer: B

Explanation

Circuit-level firewalls are designed to monitor the TCP handshaking process, ensuring a secure connection before any data is transmitted. Proxy firewalls operate at a higher level by filtering requests and responses, while NAT firewalls translate IP addresses, and host-based firewalls protect individual devices rather than managing traffic at the network level.