What does a firewall primarily protect against in a network environment?

A firewall primarily protects against unauthorized access and threats in a network environment. It acts as a barrier between a trusted internal network and untrusted external networks, such as the Internet. By monitoring and controlling incoming and outgoing network traffic based on predetermined security rules, a firewall helps prevent unauthorized users from accessing sensitive information and eliminates potential threats from outside sources, such as malware and hackers.

While internal data loss is an important concern, firewalls are primarily focused on protecting the network from external threats rather than addressing data loss once it has occurred. Hardware failures and software updates, although critical to overall network health and security, do not fall within the primary function of a firewall, which is to manage and filter traffic to protect the integrity of the network from unauthorized access.