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350-701 Practice Question: Which type of firewall is best suited to inspect…
Which type of firewall is best suited to inspect application-layer traffic and protect against exploits like SQL injection?
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the misconception that a stateful firewall is sufficient for application-layer threats, but the trap here is that stateful firewalls only inspect up to Layer 4 and cannot detect payload-based exploits like SQL injection, which require Layer 7 inspection and IPS capabilities.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Next-generation firewall with IPS and application visibility
A next-generation firewall (NGFW) with IPS and application visibility is best suited to inspect application-layer traffic and protect against exploits like SQL injection because it combines deep packet inspection (DPI), signature-based IPS, and application-level awareness. Unlike simpler firewalls, an NGFW can decode HTTP/HTTPS payloads, match patterns against SQL injection signatures (e.g., ' OR 1=1 --), and block malicious traffic at Layer 7 while maintaining stateful inspection.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Stateful firewall
Why it's wrong here
Tracks connections but limited application inspection.
- ✗
Application proxy firewall
Why it's wrong here
Can inspect, but may lack modern IPS features.
- ✗
Packet-filtering firewall
Why it's wrong here
Only inspects headers, not payload.
- ✓
Next-generation firewall with IPS and application visibility
Why this is correct
Provides application-layer inspection and protection.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 350-701 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Cisco certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the 350-701 exam.