
With more and more organizations relying on web applications for critical functions, it is crucial to protect them against security threats. Web application firewalls (WAF) are vital to an effective cyber security strategy.
WAFs are deployed to monitor traffic flowing in and out of a web app, filtering suspicious requests to stop attackers. They also help organizations secure their web apps against common vulnerabilities.
Cloud-Based
If you’re looking to protect your e-commerce business and sensitive data from threats online, then a web application firewall (WAF) is a must. These systems are designed to monitor incoming traffic and block attacks such as DDoS attacks, SQL injections and other security threats.
Web application firewalls are available as cloud services, hardware-based appliances or software-based plugins. They inspect incoming packets and analyze the logic behind each to filter out suspicious or dangerous traffic.
A web application firewall is necessary to help businesses protect their assets and data in a world with increasing compliance requirements. It also helps prevent phishing attacks and malicious users from accessing personal information and financial transactions on your website or app.
Cloud-based web application firewalls are a good choice for small to medium-sized businesses. They’re easy to deploy, require little maintenance, and are automatically updated with the latest threats.
They’re also less expensive than a network- or host-based WAFs, but they may consume more server resources on your web app server. They also have higher network latency than other types of WAFs.
It would be best to choose types of WAF based on your organization’s needs and budget. It’s essential to ask the service provider and your operational or technical teams questions before deciding.
Network-Based
Web application firewalls (WAF) protect web applications and APIs from malicious requests, preventing hackers from exploiting and compromising your data. They filter and monitor network traffic for threats, enabling businesses to comply better with security standards.
Unlike network firewalls, which look at all packets as they pass through a gateway, WAFs are designed to defend against specific attacks on the application layer. It makes them a better choice for organizations that use applications that store sensitive information.
Examples of attacks that WAFs can protect against include cross-site scripting, SQL injection and web session hacking. They also detect and block zero-day exploits, which are not seen by other security measures.
A WAF can be a network appliance, server plugin or cloud service.
They can identify and mitigate many threats, including bot attacks, which often use excessive traffic. They can also respond to attacks before they occur, preventing data loss.
Network-based WAFs are most commonly software-based but can also be hardware-based or cloud-based. They are generally easier to set up and manage than other WAFs, but they require a physical device before your website or application server.
Hardware-Based
Web application firewalls (WAFs) protect web applications from attacks by monitoring and filtering web traffic coming in and out of your organization. They do this by inspecting the HTTP/HTTPS traffic and blocking malicious traffic that is not legitimate.
WAFs can help protect against common vulnerabilities like cross-site scripting (XSS), SQL injection, and URL spoofing. They can also detect and block malware, botnets, and other threats.
The best way to choose a WAF is to consider your needs and budget. You can choose between a network-based, hardware-based, or cloud-based option.
Hardware-based WAFs are usually hardware-based and can be installed locally using dedicated equipment. They are an excellent option for large-scale deployments on corporate networks, but they can be expensive to buy and maintain.
Another option is to install a host-based web application firewall on your web server. These systems are less costly than hardware-based ones, but they require more maintenance and can cause delays in application performance.
Finally, cloud-based web application firewalls provide security options based on predefined security policies. They are more responsive and elastic than appliance-based solutions.
The proper firewall is essential to your organization’s security, but choosing the wrong one can cause headaches for your team. Whether you’re looking for a network-based, hardware-based, software-based, or cloud-based solution, ensure that you find a solution for your organization.
Software-Based
A web application firewall (WAF) is a layer seven security solution that protects your applications by filtering, monitoring and blocking malicious requests that originate from the Internet. WAFs protect against attacks that network firewalls can’t, including XSS, session hijacking and buffer overflows.
Unlike standard network firewalls that protect against unauthorized access and block traffic from specific areas or IP addresses, WAFs cover only the applications connected to the Internet. These applications can include web-based or mobile apps, APIs and custom software.
Because a WAF inspects and filters data packets at the application layer, it can detect invisible attacks on traditional firewalls more effectively. For example, a standard firewall won’t detect SQL injection attacks because it doesn’t inspect the payloads sent by application requests.
The WAFs available on the market vary in their ability to detect and mitigate these and other attacks. They can be delivered as software, an appliance or as-a-service.
They can be configured to enforce source location-level filtering, adopt pre-integrated rulesets for common attack vectors and support custom security rules. Some WAFs can automate their updates by leveraging machine learning to monitor for new threats and vulnerabilities as they are discovered.