Why is WAF required?

WAF, which stands for web application firewall, is a service that protects your server against attacks carried out through the website and examines the traffic of a website and any data in it. It tracks traffic and identifies them if there is a threat. In general, it can be said that the task of a web firewall service is to detect and limit malicious traffic before it reaches the server. Web firewalls are not like old firewalls because they do not block all IP addresses but rather deeply detect traffic and block it if it detects a sign of an attack. Also, these firewalls are customizable and user-friendly, and you can adjust them according to your schedule.

How the web firewall service works

These firewalls have two main functions. Their first function is to protect the webserver from Internet traffic. Firewalls transmit Internet-related requests to the web firewall service. But it never transmits these requests to the webserver. The WAF works like a proxy, and the existing traffic will not communicate directly with the webserver. The second task of the WAF is to check the validity of the request before it is sent and then send it to the webserver.

WAF capabilities

Their main task is to secure web servers, but they can do other things as well; for example, some of them are responsible for dividing the load, meaning that they can act as a load balancer and transfer requests as a set to a web server. They can also be presented in different forms; for example, they can be presented as hardware or virtual devices and software.

Different types of website firewalls

- Cloud-based

Cloud, the newest type of firewall that works on the web, allows them to operate within the network or locally without being compromised on the device. Hence, users no longer need installation and can improve sites' performance.

- Host-based

Portals are hosted or have the ability to customize the software. The software installed on the site is native.

What threats does this protect against?

- Cross-site request forgery

These cyber-attacks can affect all websites and web apps that require a user login to perform a specific action. They cause the user's browser to send HTTP requests to the website to take undesirable action.

- XSS

In most cases, cross-site scripting attacks by injecting code into the user. Hackers enter malicious code when loading a web page. Websites and interactive applications are particularly vulnerable to these scripts.

- SQL injection

Cybercriminals use a SQL query field to transmit additional unwanted information in a SQL injection attack.

- Items announced by OWASP

In addition to the items above, OWASP introduces a list of other web app security issues that WAF can mitigate:

- Broken authentication

- Sensitive data exposure

- XML external entities (XXE)

- Broken access control

- Security misconfiguration

- Insecure deserialization

- Using components with known vulnerabilities

- Insufficient logging & monitoring

What are the benefits of using it?

Companies that use web app firewall on their website enjoy the following benefits:

- Additional security level

In combination with other security measures, a WAF offers a higher level of protection against unauthorized access.

- Reduce security vulnerabilities in multiple applications

Webmasters can place a WAF in front of multiple applications simultaneously. This approach makes it possible to reduce existing vulnerabilities.

- Protect old systems and applications

Security vulnerabilities in software used for a long time or not programmed in-house remain longer. A WAF service provides more security for these systems and applications.

The threats the Web Application Firewall can not protect against

Unfortunately, WAF does not provide comprehensive protection, but it should always be part of a comprehensive the security concept of a website or web application. There are vulnerabilities against which WAF is ineffective. It also does not protect against malware on the network. As a result, companies must take appropriate in-house safeguards.

- Hackers are aware of ways to bypass web application firewalls, such as HTTP request smuggling. So more protection is needed here.

- Filter setting management requires a lot of expertise. If the filters are too simple or too hard to set, WAF will not work as you would like.

- many sites do not currently support JavaScript and other active web content.

- A good WAF firewall might fool developers into being less careful about security. Assuming the firewall provides the necessary protection, it may even lead to more vulnerabilities in the application.

Who needs Web Application Firewall?

The web application firewall is mandatory for sites or applications that offer credit card payment options and payment gateways. This is true in some cases, for example, of e-commerce retailers and online stores. In addition, many companies that use Agile development methods rely on WAFs, as any development errors are reduced with firewall protection.

What should you consider when using this?

Web application firewall only works, and filters and configuration are mounted! Making a mistake or setting a high limit will cause some problems. This is why managing a WAF requires professionals who can manage the day-to-day firewall. Companies that fail to guarantee this in-house will inevitably rely on external SaaS solution providers. They will manage the administrative and web-related actions.

The components of the it service

1. Policies

WAF policies include the general configuration of your WF service, including source management, protection rule settings, and robot identification feature.

2. Origin

Your web host server is designed to set security rules or other features, as defined in your WAF policy.

3. Protection rules

Protection laws can be configured to allow, block, or register network requests when they meet specified criteria for a protection law. WAF monitors your web application traffic over time and suggests new rules to enforce.

4. Bot management

The WAF service includes several features that allow you to detect, block, or allow traffic of detected bots to your web application. Robot management features include JavaScript challenge, CAPTCHA challenge, and GoodBot whitelist. At the same time, Woof can allow legal robot traffic from published robot owners to circumvent these controls.

What are the features of this?

Some of the key features of WAFs are:

- Dynamic traffic routing through Domain Name System (DNS)

Uses DNS-based traffic routing algorithms that consider user latency from thousands of global locations to determine minimum latency.

- High availability of services

When configuring web application delivery, WAFs can offer multiple high-access configuration options to add multiple source servers. These settings can be used in cases where the primary source servers are offline or do not respond properly.

- Flexible methods for managing policies

WAF configurations allow you to configure and manage features and functions to meet the needs of your organization.

- Reporting and monitoring

WAFs allow users to access reports related to their library content for adaptation and analysis.

Web Applications Firewall technology

A WAF can be embedded in server-side software plugins or hardware components or provided as a traffic filtering service. WAFs can protect web applications from malicious or compromised endpoints and act as a reverse proxy (as opposed to a proxy server that protects users from malicious websites). WAFs, ensure security by intercepting and examining any HTTP request. They test illegal traffic using various CAPTCHA techniques and block them if they do not appear to be legal.

A web app firewall, or WAF, is a security tool for monitoring, filtering, and blocking incoming and outgoing data packets from a web app or website. WAFs can be host-based, network-based, or cloud-based. This firewall is usually deployed through a reverse proxy and placed in front of one application or website (or multiple applications and sites). WAF uses a data-based algorithm to use an intelligent domain name system (DNS). Using this system determines the best point of global presence (POP) to serve the user at the moment. As a result, users are routed while dealing with global network problems and possible delays while receiving the best possible time and service levels. The WAF firewall will protect web applications by monitoring HTTP traffic. But a standard firewall creates a barrier between external and internal network traffic. Therefore, WAF is different from a normal firewall in the type of protection it provides. A WAF is placed between external users and web apps to analyze all HTTP communications.