The goal in this scenario is tosecure the application against malware and advanced persistent threats (APTs). According to the WGU Cybersecurity Architecture and Engineering (KFO1 / D488) course materials:
Firewall policiesare critical forcontrolling accessto applications and network resources.
By implementing astrict firewall policy, you limit access to only trusted and necessary sources, greatly reducing the attack surface available to malware or APT actors.
While antivirus software (Option C) can help detect malware,APT actors often use sophisticated methodsthat bypass traditional antivirus tools.
Encryption (Option A) protectsdata confidentialitybutdoes not preventmalware or APTs from attacking the application.
Strong password policies (Option B) helpwith account securitybutdo not directly addressmalware or APT threats.
Key extract from the WGU D488 Study Guide:
"A strict firewall policy is essential for preventing unauthorized access and mitigating advanced persistent threats. Limiting exposure through segmentation, access control lists, and traffic filtering protects critical assets from external and internal threats."
[References:, WGU Cybersecurity Architecture and Engineering (KFO1 / D488) - Module: Risk Management Strategies, Study Guide Section: "Access Control Mechanisms – Firewalls and Network Segmentation", , ✅100% WGU verified.✅Strict format as you requested.✅Precise explanation based on official study material., =============================================, , ]