Final answer:
True, flood guards are a security mechanism that can be used as standalone devices or as part of an existing firewall, designed to prevent cyber attacks like DDoS by managing traffic levels.
Step-by-step explanation:
True, flood guards are indeed a security mechanism that can be deployed either as standalone devices or integrated within existing firewall systems. Their main function is to protect against flood attacks, which are types of cybersecurity threats where the target is overwhelmed with a flood of network traffic, such as a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack. Flood guards work by identifying and preventing abnormal levels of traffic or requests, thus maintaining the integrity of the network and the availability of the targeted resources.
The use of flood guards as a preventative security mechanism for natural disasters, such as tsunamis, is not within their scope. Instead, ecosystems like forests have been shown to play a key role in mitigating such natural flooding events. Trees, such as the mangroves and 'warm' trees mentioned in studies, help absorb water and reduce the amplitude of a tsunami's impact. This is not only a cost-effective solution but also a more natural one compared to artificial barriers