What is a primary feature of next-generation firewalls in relation to traffic?

Next-generation firewalls (NGFWs) integrate advanced capabilities that go beyond traditional firewall functionalities. One of the primary features of NGFWs is their ability to manage encryption and decryption of traffic. This ability is crucial because much of today's internet traffic is encrypted, notably through protocols like HTTPS.

By efficiently managing encrypted traffic, NGFWs can inspect and analyze it for potential threats, ensuring that malicious content does not bypass security measures. This enables comprehensive visibility into the applications and activities taking place within encrypted sessions. Consequently, organizations can enforce security policies, apply threat intelligence, and maintain compliance without impeding legitimate user access.

In contrast, while blocking incoming requests and allowing all traffic by default point to differing operational philosophies, they do not encapsulate the advanced functionality exhibited by NGFWs regarding encryption. Automatic updates, although important for security maintenance, are not a core distinguishing feature in traffic management.