THANK YOU FOR SUBSCRIBING
Enterprise Security Magazine | Wednesday, January 05, 2022
A WAF can help organizations fill in the security gaps because it can protect the website's performance and secure the consumer's sensitive personal data from cyberattacks.
FREMONT, CA: The potential of a personal data breach was never greater, with consumers frequently depending on web services to buy goods, check email, pay rent, and more. Businesses must guarantee that their websites are wholly secured to enhance productivity and secure themselves and their consumers from rising security concerns. If the website gathers any customer information, it is the company's responsibility to keep it safe from cyber attackers.
What is a Web Application Firewall?
Stay ahead of the industry with exclusive feature stories on the top companies, expert insights and the latest news delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe today.
WAFs, or Web Application Firewalls, protect against a growing number of advanced web-based incursions and exploits that target web server programs and the confidential or secret data they have access to.
How does a Web Application Firewall Work?
The WAF is a firewall that protects web apps from risky behavior in the same way that the company's firewall secures its IT infrastructure by filtering traffic and protecting against cybercriminals. A WAF defends against malicious activities by tracking HTTP traffic and filtering it out before reaching the server. WAFs use many guidelines to detect malicious traffic by defining which vulnerabilities and traffic patterns to look for.
Types of Web Application Firewalls
There are three different types of WAFs on the market. Every one of them achieves a similar objective, but they are installed and operated in various locations.
Hardware-based WAF
The hardware-based WAF is the one that is implemented on a physical piece of hardware and distributed locally in a LAN or local area network. The operating system is installed on the appliance and supports any WAF updates. As this choice is based on hardware, it comes with its set of advantages and disadvantages.
Software-based WAF
Instead of using hardware, a software-based WAF is placed in a Virtual Machine or VM. This alternative performs similar functions as the hardware-based WAF but with more flexibility. It may be deployed on-premises or in the cloud and lower costs because no hardware is necessary. But the software-based WAF takes longer to analyze and filter traffic, slowing down the web application.
Cloud-based WAF
A cloud-based WAF is available as a SaaS (software as a service) model. The WAF is entirely in the cloud with this solution, and the service provider controls everything. The service provider will optimize and update it as necessary, making it the easiest option for organizations to adopt and operate a WAF.
More in News