A Web Application Firewall protects web apps by monitoring and filtering HTTP traffic, between web apps and the internet. WAF is a defense and not designed to defend against all types of attacks.
The web application firewall solution protects the web application from attacks, such as:
- cross-site forgery
- cross-site-scripting
- file inclusion
- SQL injection
Attack method mitigation is a part of the tool that creates a holistic defense against various attack vectors. Deploying the WAF in front of the web application is placed with a shield between the internet and the web application. The proxy server protects the identity of the client machine using an intermediary.
What is a WAF?
A WAF is a reverse proxy that protects the server from being exposed by letting clients pass WAF before reaching the server. WAF operates through a set of rules called policies. The policies aimed to protect against vulnerabilities in the app by filtering malicious traffic.
The WAF value comes in part from the ease and speed with which policy modification is implemented. It allows faster response to the changing attack vectors.
Functions of WAF
WAF protects web applications from possible malicious HTTP/S traffic that travels to the web application and keeps unauthorized data from leaving the application. It works by adhering to the set of policies that determine what traffic is safe and what traffic is malicious. WAF works like a proxy server, it protects the identity of the client. The WAF operates similarly to proxy servers but in reverse, called reverse proxy.
WAF acts as an intermediary, protecting the web app server from malicious clients. WAFs come in the form of software or are delivered as a service. Policies are customized to meet the unique needs of a web app or web app. Although many WAFs require to update the policies regularly to solve new vulnerabilities, to get advanced in machine learning let WAFs update automatically.
Automation becomes more essential because the threat landscape continuously grows in ambiguity and complexity. Reverse proxies can be used to cache responses from the backend servers. It improves web app performance by reducing the response times for the often accessed resources and easing the load on the backend servers. Cached responses are served more quickly than the dynamically generated responses from the backend servers.
Reverse proxy caching leads to better resource utilization and scalability, especially during high-traffic periods or serving static content.
Conclusion
WAFs protect against various attacks like zero-day threats, SQL injection, and more. A website runs and works properly with a web app firewall, especially for e-commerce websites because it has high traffic daily.
