What is a Web Application Firewall (WAF)?
Standard firewalls protect the flow of information between servers whereas a web application firewall (WAF) is capable of filtering traffic for a specific web application. Web application firewalls and network firewalls are complementary and can work together.
Some of the conventional security methods include intrusion detection systems (IDS), intrusion prevention systems (IPS), and network firewalls. All these methods are effective at blocking bad L3-L4 traffic at the perimeter on the lower end (L3-L4) of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model. The standard firewalls lack the potential to detect attacks in web applications as they do not understand Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) which takes place at layer 7 of the OSI model. Furthermore, they only permit the port that sends and receives requested web pages from an HTTP server to be closed or open. This is why a WAF plays a vital role in preventing attacks like session hijacking, Cross-Site Scripting (XSS), and SQL injections.
A reliable and good WAF protection tool will thus have the potential to provide an effective solution ideal for detecting the threats by studying incoming HTTP requests even before they reach the server. The WAF identifies and blocks malicious attacks intertwined into safe-looking website traffic that may have slipped via the standard security solutions. When used by organizations, WAFs help them to comply with PCI-DSS and HIPAA requirements.
Key Benefits of a Web Application Firewall (WAF)
-
Protection
WAFs shield against unauthorized data exposure on an application or website. They are beneficial for online businesses that aim at storing private user data in a well-secured manner. If these businesses fail to provide suitable cybersecurity measures, then all confidential details about their customers will become vulnerable to web hackers. Furthermore, in the worst-case scenario, the website itself can go through a major cyberattack bringing about a huge loss to the business and customer trust. To prevent such dreadful incidents, organizations will have to install a WAF in order to automatically filter out malicious web traffic and permit your business to manually decide who they intend to block from their website. -
Stops Data Leakage
Hackers excel in collecting data in several different ways. Data leakage is made to occur by a simple malicious error message presented to a user. If your application is concealing sensitive data, like credit card numbers or source code, then it becomes easily vulnerable to a leak. In these data leak cases, a WAF will scan all requests to your Web application users, and if something unusual arises, the WAF will go ahead and stop it from leaving your network. Getting a WAF for your business provides your customers with peace of mind and security. -
Automated Patches
Running vulnerability scans regularly is a good web security measure. If you happen to detect a vulnerability in your website or web application, you might possess the resources to patch the application or quickly fix the problem, but most businesses fail to have the skill to instantly cater to the issue. If your business experiences the second situation, then your company will be at risk as long as the detected vulnerability is present. However, there are WAFs capable of using your scan findings in order to patch your application for instant protection.
Given all these benefits, you can now decide if you want to install a reliable and efficient WAF that will protect your website and your customer's online activities. To help you avail all of the above-mentioned benefits, Comodo has developed cWatch – a web security solution available with an excellent WAF capable of strengthening and protecting your site.
Comodo cWatch Web Solution has a Fully Managed WAF
The Comodo WAF eliminates application vulnerabilities and protects web applications and websites against advanced attacks such as SQL Injection, Cross-Site Scripting, and Denial-of-Service (DDoS). The Comodo WAF is available with vulnerability scanning, malware scanning, and automatic virtual patching and hardening engines, and is thus capable of providing robust security that is completely managed for customers as part of the Comodo cWatch Web solution.
Key Features of the Comodo WAF
-
Stop Website Attacks and Hacks
Safeguards vulnerable websites by detecting and removing malicious requests and stopping hacking attempts. This WAF also focuses on application targeting attacks, for example, WordPress and plugins, Joomla, Drupal etc. -
Distributed Denial of Service Protection
A globally-distributed Anycast network enables efficient distribution of traffic. It blocks all non HTTP/HTTPS-based traffic, with a current network capacity in excess of 1 TB/s. Every single PoP has several 10G and 100G ports, designed to scale and absorb extremely huge attacks. -
Malicious Bot and Brute Force Prevention
This WAF blocks malicious bots and brute force attacks. It provides protection of account registration forms and login pages from different attack vectors including protection from reconnaissance attacks, application denial of service, and web scraping. -
Zero Day Immediate Response
Updates of virtual patches are consistently provided for all websites under management including instant response to apply a patch for the zero-day attacks when they become known to the public.
Besides the WAF, cWatch Web also offers other web security features that include:
-
Malware Monitoring and Remediation
Detects malware, provides suitable methods and tools to remove it, and prevents future malware attacks. -
Cyber Security Operations Center (CSOC)
The CSOC has a team of always-on certified cybersecurity professionals providing round-the-clock surveillance and remediation services. -
Security Information and Event Management (SIEM)
Enhanced intelligence that can control existing events and data from 85M+ endpoints and 100M+ domains. -
PCI Scanning
This scanning process enables service providers and merchants to stay in compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS). -
Secure Content Delivery Network (CDN)
A global system of distributed servers responsible for enhancing the performance of web applications and websites.
