A web application firewall (WAF) is a form of application firewall that is specifically designed to protect web applications from attacks such as cross-site scripting (XSS), SQL injection, file inclusion and session hijacking. WAFs are commonly used to provide an additional layer of security alongside traditional network firewalls and intrusion detection systems (IDS).
There are a vast number of web applications in use across the internet, ranging from simple content management systems to complex online banking platforms. This broad range of applications presents an attractive target to attackers. Cybercriminals can take advantage of vulnerabilities in web applications to gain unauthorized access to sensitive information or to carry out other malicious cyberattacks.
A WAF can be thought of as a filter that sits between the web application and the user. It intercepts all incoming traffic to the application and analyses it looking for signs of an attack. If an attack is detected, the WAF can block the offending traffic, preventing it from reaching the application.
There are several different types of web application firewall available. The most common types are network-based, host-based and cloud-based.
1. Network-based WAFs are typically hardware appliances that are installed between the application server and the internet. They can intercept and monitor all incoming traffic to the application, providing comprehensive protection.
2. Host-based WAFs are installed on the application server itself. They can provide more detailed protection than network-based WAFs as they have access to more contextual data about the application.
3. Cloud-based WAFs are deployed in the cloud, typically using a software-as-a-service (SaaS) model. They can provide scalable protection for web applications with minimal configuration requirements.
When selecting a WAF, it’s important to consider a range of factors including:
- Ease of deployment and management
- Accuracy and effectiveness at detecting attacks
- Performance and scalability
- Integration with existing security tools
- Vendor support and expertise
CLOUDFLARE
Protect from zero-day vulnerability exploits, OWASP top 10 attacks, and attack bypasses with the Cloudflare Web Application Firewall (WAF).
- 24/7/365 support via chat, email, and phone
- 100% uptime guarantee with 25x reimbursement SLA
- Predictable flat-rate pricing for usage based products
- Advanced Cache controls
- Bot management
- Access to raw logs
- Firewall analytics
- Role based access
- Network prioritization
QRATOR
DoS attacks protection, network security, Web Application Firewall, Reliable DNS infrastructure, Internet Service Providers, Hosting Service Providers and Data Centers protection, CDN, Bot protection.
- Automatic DDoS mitigation at all OSI levels up to L7 (application level) inclusive, on all the tariff plans, with no exception
- The minimum number of false positives: 0% – in a quiet mode, it does not exceed 5% during an attack
- Transparency for legitimate users: captcha and other checks of this kind, which can annoy the users, are not used
- Qrator Labs philosophy is maximum accessibility of client’s resources
- The minimum response time to an L7 attack, without affecting the clients’ web resource productivity
- SLA: you do not pay if the service fails to meet the declared quality
ALIBABACLOUD
Alibaba Cloud Web Application Firewall (WAF) protects your website servers against intrusions, detects and blocks malicious traffic directed to your websites and applications.
- Automatic Vulnerability Prevention
- Multi-dimensional Dynamic Protection
- Anti-scanning and Anti-detection
- Custom Protection Rules
- Flexible Traffic Management
- Mitigation Against HTTP Flood Attacks
- Accurate Bot Identification
- All-scenario Protection
- Diversified Methods to Handle Bot Traffic
- Scenario-specific Configuration Wizard
- API Security Protection
- Data Leak Prevention
- Web Tamper Proofing
- Account Risk Detection
- Secure Access
- Full Access Logs
- Automatic Asset Identification
- Hybrid Cloud Deployment
- Compliance with Classified Protection Requirements
MODSECURITY
ModSecurity is an open source, cross platform web application firewall (WAF) engine for Apache, IIS and Nginx that is developed by Trustwave’s SpiderLabs.
- All Apache dependencies have been removed
- Higher performance
- New features
- New architecture
IMPERVA
Imperva Web Application Firewall is the industry-leading solution to help defend your web application from external and internal threats.
- Active and legacy applications
- Third-party applications
- APIs & Microservices
- Cloud applications, containers, VMs and more
BARRACUDA
Barracuda Web Application Firewall changes the game, with comprehensive protection against all kinds of app-based threats, highly flexible deployment options, and remarkable ease of use.
- Ensure protection from web attacks and DDoS
- Stop bad bots dead in their tracks
- Protect your APIs and mobile apps
- Enable granular access control and secure app delivery
- Automate and orchestrate security
- Gain deep visibility into attacks and traffic patterns
BOMITSOLUTIONS
BOM IT Solutions has been at the forefront of business opportunity and management of IT solutions since 1958, working with a vast spectrum of industries.
- OWASP Top 10 Protection
- Positive security model through application learning
- API protection for JSON, XML
- Real-time Insights
- Application Rate Limiting
- L3/L4 ACLs
- Input Validation – XSS, SQLi etc
- Scripting for application logic flaws – Using Data Scripts
- Simplified Policy Definition
- Elasticity and Automation
- DDoS Protection
- L7 Rules/Policies etc
FORTINET
FortiWeb web application firewall provides advanced capabilities to defend web applications and APIs from known and zero-day threats.
- Proven Web Application and API Protection
- ML-based Threat Detection
- Security Fabric Integration
- Advanced Visual Analytics
- False Positive Mitigation Tools
- Hardware-based Acceleration
F5
F5 application services ensure that applications are always secure and perform the way they should in any environment and on any device.
- Robust attack signature engine
- Advanced behavior engine
- Powerful service policy engine
- Automatic attack signature tuning
- Streamlined set-up and management
- Multi-app dashboards
- Flexible service levels
MICROMINDERCS
Microminder customised inspections enable our web application firewalls to detect and flag sophisticated web security flaws that could bypass traditional IDS systems.
- A next-gen firewall
- Machine learning
- Advanced Reporting
PTSECURITY
PT Application Firewall is a web application firewall (WAF) – a smart protection solution based on advanced technologies and ongoing global research. It provides proactive and continuous protection for your internet-accessible applications against both known and unknown attacks, including the OWASP Top 10, automated and client-side attacks, and zero-days.
- Proactive DDoS defense
- Automatic blocking of zero-day attacks
- Targeted protection
- Stopping attacks on users
- Pinpoint protection from bot attacks
- Full security for web and mobile APIs
BARRACUDAMSP
Barracuda MSP – secure your customers apps, protect their data and your reputation from today’s advanced threats regardless of where their apps are deployed with a WAF.
- Simple setup wizard helps you add protection for your customers in minutes
- Automated vulnerability identification and remediation
- Intuitive component-based strucutre for fine-tuning policies
- Unmetered DDoS protection included
HUAWEICLOUD
HuaweiCloud Web Application Firewall (WAF) shields web apps against multiple attacks such as SQL injection, malicious file execution, and cross-site scripting (XSS).
- Maximize Uptime, Availability, and Speed
- Sensitive Data Protection
- Guard Against Emerging Threats 24/7
- Security Certification