This type of anti-malware runs on firewalls or other devices that are inline with the internet connection and check traffic for malware as it passes through.

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The concept here is anti-malware that operates at the network level, running on devices that are inline with the traffic so malware is checked as it passes through the network. This means the protection is provided by network appliances like firewalls or gateway devices that inspect the data flowing between the internet and the internal network, and they can block malicious payloads before they reach any endpoint. This approach gives broad coverage for all traffic crossing the network edge and can enforce security policies centrally, without relying on each device to run its own protection.

In contrast, cloud-based protection isn’t tied to the physical traffic path and often relies on offsite scanning, email gateways specialize in filtering and scanning email, and host-based solutions run on individual endpoints. Network-based inspection is particularly effective for catching threats early, though it may introduce some latency and depends on the performance of the inline device.