Which feature of Sophos XG Firewall helps secure web applications?

The chosen answer, the Web Application Firewall (WAF), specifically addresses the security needs of web applications by protecting them from various threats, such as SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and other vulnerabilities that are prevalent in web-based environments. WAFs operate at the application layer, monitoring and filtering HTTP traffic between a web application and the internet, making them essential for safeguarding web applications against attacks designed to exploit weaknesses in their code or configuration.

In contrast, the other features contribute to the overall security posture, but they operate differently and don't focus specifically on web application vulnerabilities. Secure Socket Layer (SSL) Inspection is important for decrypting SSL traffic to monitor its content, while the Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) detects and prevents exploits on network traffic but does not specifically target web application vulnerabilities. Antivirus Scanning helps detect and eliminate malware but does not specifically safeguard the application layer against targeted application attacks. Thus, while all these features are integral to network security, the WAF is the primary mechanism specifically designed to protect web applications.