What is a Web Application Firewall (WAF)?
A Web Application Firewall (WAF) is a security tool designed to protect web applications from a variety of application layer attacks, including cross-site scripting (XSS), SQL injection, and cookie poisoning. These attacks are a common cause of data breaches. By using a WAF, you can block these threats and secure your valuable data from being compromised.
How Does a Web Application Firewall (WAF) Work?
A WAF protects your web applications by filtering, monitoring, and blocking any malicious HTTP/S traffic. It prevents unauthorised data from leaving the application by following specific policies that identify and block malicious traffic while allowing safe traffic to pass through. Acting as a reverse proxy, a WAF sits between the web app server and the client, safeguarding the server from potentially harmful clients.
WAFs can be implemented as software, a hardware appliance, virtual WAF Appliance, or a cloud-based service. Policies can be customised to fit the unique needs of your web applications. While many WAFs require regular policy updates to combat new threats, some advanced WAFs use machine learning to update automatically, keeping up with the evolving threat landscape and to simplify action insights.
Difference Between WAF, IPS, and NGFW
- Intrusion Prevention System (IPS): Focuses broadly on network security, checking for known vulnerabilities and attack patterns using a signature database and predefined policies. IPS mainly protects layers 3 and 4 (network and session layers) and alerts when traffic deviates from the standard.
- Web Application Firewall (WAF): Protects the application layer (layer 7), specifically analysing HTTP/S requests. It acts as an intermediary between the user and the web application, ensuring that only allowed actions are performed based on security policies. WAFs are crucial for defending against the OWASP Top 10 application vulnerabilities, including injection attacks and cross-site scripting (XSS).
- Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW): Monitors outgoing traffic to the internet, protecting users by enforcing user-based policies. NGFWs add context to security policies and include features like URL filtering and anti-virus/malware protection. Unlike WAFs, NGFWs are forward proxies used by clients, such as web browsers.
WAF Deployment Options
- Cloud-based, Fully Managed: Ideal for quick and hassle-free WAF deployment, especially with limited in-house IT resources.
- Cloud-based, Self-Managed: Offers flexibility and control over traffic management and security policy settings while leveraging the cloud’s benefits.
- Cloud-based, Auto-Provisioned: An easy and cost-effective way to deploy WAF in the cloud, automating security policy implementation.
- On-Premises Advanced WAF (Virtual or Hardware Appliance): Best for environments requiring high flexibility, performance, and advanced security features.
New Intelligent easy to set up WAF by TR7
TR7 is a new Vendor in this arena that have created a load balancing Web Application Firewall WAF that has been built from the ground up to be set up fast on premise with ML and fantastic reporting so you can start protecting quickly against todays new threats. We recommend putting it in a bake off with your existing solution to see how it fares. Contact us for a proof of concept trial.
https://wisedistribution.co.uk/web-application-firewall-waf-tr7/