Which of the following types of firewall functions at the Session layer of OSI model?
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A. B. C. D.A.
Among the given options, the firewall that operates at the Session layer of the OSI model is a Circuit-level firewall, which is also called a Stateful firewall.
Circuit-level firewalls are designed to monitor and regulate traffic based on the established sessions between source and destination hosts. This firewall works by creating a session between two endpoints and allows all subsequent traffic to flow between them. It verifies the authenticity of the session using TCP three-way handshake, and once a valid session is established, it allows traffic to pass through without further inspection.
Circuit-level firewalls are less secure than application-level firewalls but are more efficient in handling traffic. It can prevent unauthorized access to internal networks and can protect against denial-of-service attacks. This type of firewall can also detect and prevent network-layer attacks, such as IP spoofing, by ensuring that the traffic belongs to the established session.
In contrast, application-level firewalls operate at the Application layer of the OSI model and provide more granular control over network traffic. Application-level firewalls are capable of inspecting and filtering traffic based on the specific application protocols and can detect and block application-level attacks.
Packet filtering firewalls and switch-level firewalls operate at the Network layer of the OSI model and can filter traffic based on source and destination IP addresses, port numbers, and protocol types. Packet filtering firewalls are simple and efficient, while switch-level firewalls are designed to secure network devices such as switches and routers by controlling access to them.
In summary, Circuit-level firewalls operate at the Session layer of the OSI model, monitor and regulate traffic based on established sessions, and provide a balance between security and performance.