A comprehensive guide to Web Application Firewall (WAF)

firewall is an additional layer of protection against external threats that helps you prevent hackers from entering your system by preventing them from accessing certain areas or functions that they should not use.

A web application firewall (WAF) acts as a protective shield to prevent cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks, SQL injection attacks, and other vulnerabilities.

As web servers are gradually becoming major and common targets of attacks, how can we ensure the security of our server? The information we’ll review in this article about a web application firewall (WAF) will help you keep your site secure.

What is a Web Application Firewall (WAF)?

The term WAF is an abbreviation of the following words ( W eb A application Firewall ), meaning Web Application Firewall, which is a security system that protects web applications from external and internal attacks.

In other words, it protects the network from malicious traffic originating from outside the network as well as from malicious traffic generated from within your own network.

WAF can be installed inside or outside firewalls to protect all web-based resources (hosting servers, content management systems, databases). A firewall secures sensitive information on your server from malicious attacks by filtering out malicious content such as viruses or malware.

WAFs are typically deployed between a user’s browser and a web application, for example, in front of Apache or IIS servers. WAFs can be implemented as software modules within a web server or as separate devices located between the user and the server.

The primary function of a WAF firewall is to detect and prevent attacks against vulnerable areas of an application such as SQL injection attacks, cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks, or impersonation attacks.

A Web Application Firewall (WAF) acts as a security layer between the client and the server that aims to protect against attacks from malicious users by creating a firewall to prevent attackers from accessing vulnerable parts of your site.

A web application firewall can also scan incoming requests for encrypted or hidden attack commands. The goal is to detect unwanted behavior based on previously entered rule sets.

WAF can be hardware or software based and acts as a layer of protection for websites against attacks. It acts as an additional shield on your website to prevent malicious codes from reaching your network since most of these programs are encrypted; This makes it difficult to detect through normal defenses.

WAF also checks all incoming traffic by comparing it to known attack patterns in order to prevent any suspicious activity before it becomes tangible damage. For example, if someone tries to log in to your server with an incorrect password and fails 10 times, they will Block him for 5 minutes so he can try again.

WAFs vary in how they implement this feature; Some will lock out users after a certain number of failed attempts while others may block traffic from a specific IP address.

Methods for deploying WAFs

Cloud-based WAF application firewall	Host-based WAF application firewall	Network-based WAF
It exists on the network between an application or website and the Internet, it is very easy to set up and it scans the traffic first for any malicious activity.	This type of firewall can be hosted on your website, saving you costs and offering you more customization options.	It works as a gateway between users and servers that host web applications that are used to protect against security threats. It is considered one of the fastest security methods, but it is very expensive.

How a Web Application Firewall (WAF) works

WAF works using a series of filters that filter and detect threats from web requests. These threats include things like spam, viruses, and malware.

The first thing WAF does is look at each incoming request to a website, use the rules set by the administrator to determine whether that request should be allowed or not, and then decide whether to let it through or not.

If the request is allowed, it will continue on its way to the target application, but if it is rejected it stops there and never reaches your server.

The application goes through the following stages:

1- Application Profiling

Once a threat is detected, the application profiler will test the request to see if it is malicious. If so, then the WAF firewall can prevent traffic from reaching its destination and notify you of the potential danger. In addition, the firewall monitors new threats and automatically adds them to the repository of known threats.

2- Blocklist Signatures

At this point any requests made on the website by the user that match the signature of the current blocklist entry will be blocked. Blocklist maintains an up-to-date list of all known threats, and WAF updates the blocklist.

3- Correlation Engine

This engine stores information that typically represents normal behavior, and can therefore compare the current application behavior with the information in this engine. If it detects a discrepancy, the application will perform an action on that request. This may be sending an alert or recording data about the presence of abnormal events.

4- Protection against DDoS attacks

DDoS attacks, in which a hacker takes control of several web applications and creates a network called a botnet that floods a website’s server with data requests so that legitimate visitors cannot access them. In addition to being a nuisance, these types of attacks can cause serious problems for businesses.

The firewall identifies these attacks, detects botnets, and blocks their requests so your site can function normally while keeping your server safe from harm.

5- Content Delivery Network (CDN)

A CDN is a network of servers that work together to provide a faster browsing experience. WAF can be used to cache your site on a CDN. Thus, the WAF firewall contributes to significantly speeding up loading times.

How WAFs protect web applications from malicious attacks

Positive Technologies released a 2019 Web Application Report, according to which sensitive data breaches pose a threat in 68% of web applications. Statistics like these reinforce the need to protect web applications more effectively.

As mentioned earlier WAF is a web application firewall. Protects your applications from malicious attacks by filtering the input they access. It can filter out both SQL injection attacks, cross-site scripting, XSS, or other common vulnerabilities exploited by attackers trying to attack websites. The firewall filters requests and responses to eliminate malicious traffic.

WAFs are therefore very effective in blocking certain types of malicious attacks, as they can block known malicious requests. The way WAFs work is essentially to intercept all HTTP requests or other network traffic and analyze them for potential threats.

If the request looks suspicious WAF can either reject it outright or pass it along while recording what it detected so it can see how many times an attack has been attempted on your site.

The difference between a block list and an allow list

The main difference between the Blocklist and Allowlist that a web application firewall relies on is the way each list implements its own security policies.

Block lists are generally simpler than allow lists, because they focus on blocking all unauthorized traffic. While allow lists are typically used to limit acceptable traffic based on more granular criteria, such as enforcing privilege for specific IP addresses or allowing access to specific ports.

A block list typically filters out most unwanted traffic upon first connection to the server while a allow list may require several attacks before it blocks suspicious activity.

Some attacks are prevented by WAFs

WAFs are one of the largest security mechanisms in the modern era. Prevents attacks from penetrating a network or system. The following attack types are prevented by WAFs:

SQL Injection is one of the most common and dangerous forms of web application attacks. It works by exploiting a weakness in an application to cause data leakage or even allow full access to all back-end databases of the application.

1- SQL Injection

The attack is carried out when an attacker injects malicious SQL code into input fields on a website which can be used against the underlying database. The goal of this type of attack is usually to gain unauthorized access and possibly steal information from the database.

2- Cross-site Scripting (XSS)

XSS is a web attack that takes advantage of the trust relationship between a website and its users. By convincing a user to click a link or submit data, XSS can allow attackers to inject code into another website.

This code can be used for several malicious purposes, such as stealing passwords from third-party websites where users have previously logged in using the target site’s login form.

3- DDoS Attacks

A DDoS attack is a form of cyberattack, in which the attacker sends a large number of requests to an organization’s website or server. The sheer number of requests makes it difficult for a site to respond and often overburdens its system, preventing it from responding to legitimate traffic.

4- Zero-day Attacks

In Zero-day attacks, malicious code exploits an unknown weakness in a commonly used application or operating system. The term zero-day comes from the fact that there is not enough time to patch a vulnerability before it can be exploited.

It is a type of cyberattack where a cookie sent back to a server is manipulated to bypass security or steal sensitive information.

6- Web Scraping

It is the process of extracting information from a website or web page. Web Scraping is done by writing computer programs that automatically go through a website and extract data from it.

7- Malware attacks

Malware is a term that refers to any type of malicious code that can be used for various purposes. Some types of malware are designed to steal information while other types of malware are designed to damage or disable computers or networks.

8- Defacement attacks

Distortion attacks change the content of a website to present an alternative message. Some defacement attacks are usually harmless and, for example, change the background color or page image. However, more serious defacements may expose sensitive information about your business and steal data from customers.

How do WAFs help you meet legal security standards?

All companies that handle sensitive information must comply with the Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standard. This includes merchants, banks, other financial institutions, telecommunications service providers and even government agencies.

If your organization works with, processes or stores sensitive information (credit card details etc.) it is essential that it adheres to security requirements and standards. WAFs play an important role in helping companies meet these requirements and prevent data breaches.

WAF is a gateway to prevent attacks on your website, and can also help you comply with security standards such as PCI (Payment Card Industry), HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996), and GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation).

That’s why installing a firewall should be an important part of the overall security strategy for any organization or institution that deals with sensitive data, in addition to adopting encryption, authentication, monitoring, and incident response policies.

Different types of firewalls on WordPress sites

WordPress is the most popular content management system platform in the world. Due to its popularity, it is often targeted by hackers. So WAF helps prevent attacks on WordPress from succeeding by blocking them at the application level before they can cause any damage.

Thus, by using WAF you can protect your website and ensure that visitors to your WordPress site continue to enjoy a safe and uninterrupted browsing experience.

There are several types of firewalls that you can rely on, which are:

1- WAF Security Plugins

WAF (Web Application Firewall) is a security plugin that protects a website from malicious attacks and hacking. Integrates with web server for protection. WAF can protect static and dynamic websites as well as JSON APIs, XML endpoints, and SOAP web services.

The main feature of this firewall is to detect intrusions or attacks on your website. It also ensures detection of intrusions, monitoring traffic flow, detecting frequently repeated requests from the same party, etc., which may be an indication of a hacking attempt by a hacker.

2- On-site Dedicated WordPress WAFs

These types of firewalls are installed between your WordPress site and the Internet connection. It monitors, filters, and blocks requests to and from your servers based on the security rules you specify.

3- Online WordPress Firewalls

This type of firewall does not need to be installed on the same network as the web server. It is an online service that acts as a proxy server, through which your website traffic comes to be scanned and then redirected to your website.

As a website owner, you must configure your domain’s DNS records to point to a WAF across the Internet. This will help ensure the security of all traffic coming to and from your site.

To do this, add the domain’s server (which points to your IP address) to the WAF. Then, when visitors or users try to access your site or any pages on it, these requests will be scanned and then routed through the firewall to your website.

Web application firewall deployment and configuration options

There are several options you can do to deploy your web application firewall. Here are the options and the differences between them:

1- In-line Appliance Firewalls

In-line Appliance is an essential layer of network security. They are commonly used to protect web servers from unauthorized access. They can be hardware or software based and work by filtering traffic as it passes through the firewall, so they should be placed between the web server and your Internet connection.

This placement allows them to filter data packets before they reach the server, which helps prevent any type of attacks that use data packets as a vector for spying or snooping such as DDOS attacks.

2- End-point Firewalls

Firewalls are used to prevent unauthorized access to the network. They are installed on the outer layer of the network, this type is called an endpoint wall or end wall.

This type of firewall can filter data based on IP address, port number, protocol type, and other parameters.

The concept behind it is simple – if you can detect data trying to get into your system from an untrusted source (i.e. someone who shouldn’t be sending it) you can block it before it gets into your internal system.

3- Cloud-based Firewalls

It is a tool for Internet security and network protection. It can be used to manage, configure and monitor firewalls across multiple devices. Cloud-based Firewalls also have no installation requirements and are configured via DNS or BGP.

Companies that provide firewall services

There are several commercial companies that provide you with a web application firewall service, the most important of which are:

1- Amazon Web Services (AWS)

AWS WAF lets you create a web application firewall that monitors incoming requests for known attack patterns and blocks requests when it detects them. This solution also provides access control mechanisms to allow legitimate traffic to move through while restricting hackers from entering your website.

AWS helps stop attacks from web exploits and bots that can compromise your security or even jeopardize your company’s brand.

AWS WAF can analyze in real-time the activity on your site to detect common web exploits before performing real-time logging of requests based on specific policies. AWS WAF supports both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses and works with standard protocols like HTTP and HTTPS as well as APIs Such as Amazon S3 and DynamoDB.

2- Cloudflare

Cloudflare is a cloud application security company, WAF is integrated with its protection. WAF blocks more than 57 billion cyber threats every day. Cloudflare’s WAF is designed to protect all types of applications, whether they’re PHP, Java, or .Net-based. Cloudflare is also integrated with Google Safe Browsing and Microsoft SmartScreen technology so it can prevent malicious phishing attacks in real time.

Cloudflare WAF is a web application firewall that can prevent attacks against web applications. It protects against DDoS attacks, malicious bots, SQL injection attacks, and other common security threats. WAF can also be used to protect APIs or web services with flexible rules for incoming traffic.

3- Microsoft’s Azure

Microsoft Azure offers a set of software that provides utilities for other systems, including WAFS, a web application firewall. This system helps protect your applications by analyzing traffic patterns and blocking malicious requests before they even reach your network.

Azure Web Application Firewall helps protect your web application from common web hacking techniques such as SQL injection and vulnerabilities discovered in applications, thus preventing attackers from compromising your or your users’ data or using it to spread malware.

Once an incoming request results in a rule violation, Azure Web App Firewall can stop requests before they reach the web servers, and the violation is logged in audit logs for analysis and investigation of successful (or unsuccessful) attacks on web applications.

4- Imperva

Attackers are always looking for vulnerabilities to exploit in order to gain access to the system. To prevent these attacks, security solutions must be able to identify what is malicious and what is benign.

Imperva ‘s WAF protects users from attacks using a variety of technologies, including an application firewall, rule-based content scanning and real-time analysis. The solution stops the vast majority of attacks before they can cause any damage with almost no errors.

5- Juices

Sucuri WAF is a leading security company for WordPress. It features a cloud-based WAF that is consistently effective, a suite of easy-to-use security solutions and a customer base that grows by the day.

If you run your business on WordPress, you need Sucuri to ensure your site is safe from hackers. Sucuri Security Network (SSN) is one of the best online security services for business owners who want to protect their digital assets.

6- Prophaze

Prophaze WAF is a powerful new website firewall that protects websites and servers from hacker attacks, DDoS attacks, as well as other threats to your WordPress site.

All your sites will be protected by Prophaze’s Website Application Firewall (WAF) as it scans for thousands of vulnerabilities. It is not just a simple program that blocks common attacks but its advanced technology works around the clock to identify and block new threats as they appear.

7- Smart

Akamai ‘s WAF is a reliable solution that protects your site from all known attacks. The Akamai Web Application Firewall (WAF) provides customers with an additional level of protection for their web applications.

It protects the application from attacks such as cross-site scripting, SQL injection, and other known vulnerabilities. A cloud-based service, WAF is available in both standard and advanced versions to meet your needs and can be used in conjunction with Akamai’s website acceleration service to provide faster loading times to your site visitors.

8- Wordfence

Wordfence is another powerful WAF option designed for WordPress sites as a popular all-in-one security plugin. Wordfence offers the same great features as Sucuri, but also includes many additional tools.

It blocks malicious traffic and detects common server vulnerabilities. It also detects unauthorized access to your site. It has a free version and a paid version with additional features. In addition to providing the basic features of a firewall, it also protects against DDOS attacks.

Conclusion

Here our journey has ended in this comprehensive article in which we talked in detail about the concept of the web application firewall (WAF) and talked about its types and how it works. We also learned about how WAFs protect your web applications from malicious attacks, and the most important attacks that are prevented. By her.

We also looked at how WAFs can help you meet legal security standards, the different types of WordPress firewalls, firewall deployment and configuration options, and the top companies that offer a web application firewall (WAF) service.