Many people are aware of the need for a firewall on their personal computer, either as a standalone package or as part of an antivirus suite or Internet security suite.
However, there is a growing need and demand for something similar that protects websites and their users from similar malicious activities. The solution? A cloud firewall called WAF (Web Application Firewall).
WAFs have become increasingly necessary due to various vectors attacked. This includes Cross Site Scripting (XSS) attacks in which a malicious user or bot attempts to exploit code executions in its database or scripting software to access the underlying database, thereby gaining access to the database. underlying. directly to your server.
Another known threat is the distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack, in which a botnet tries to flood a server or network with too much information for it to handle. , thus planting the server and canceling the presence of your network and your website. .
There are also other user-based attacks, such as phishing, inactivity, and hijacking, in which malicious software comes into play between your browser and your browser. visitor and your website, allowing hackers to steal information that should be secure, such as passwords or even credit card information.
These are all the problems that web application firewalls aim to prevent and protect. However, a WAF must be invisible to users, so they never know it is there.
WAF rules are generally accompanied by dynamic rules that are constantly updated to stay on top of the latest threats, as well as a background dashboard to provide an analysis of their operation.
There are a number of WAFs on the market, and here we are going to look at some of the best available now.
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(Image credit: CloudFlare)
1. CloudFlare WAF
An attack on one is an attack on all with the advanced CloudFlare firewall rules
Free level
Customizable rules
Some reports delay
CloudFlare is a company that offers content delivery, DDoS mitigation, Internet security, and distributed domain name server providers. It was founded in 2009.
The solution regularly monitors the Internet for new updates, such as attacks and vulnerabilities. WAF (web application firewall) rules are automatically enabled for anything that is considered a threat to most of your clients. These will protect all Internet properties. Constant updates ensure that CloudFlare protection is in place at all times.
Cloudflare processes a large number of requests every hour with the solution that identifies and blocks new threats. Thanks to its large customer base, the platform can rely on collective intelligence to root out threats. This means that when a customer creates a new WAF rule, CloudFlare decides if it applies to all other domains on their network.
CloudFlare has a free level. This includes unmeasured mitigation of DDoS attacks, a global CDN, a shared SSL certificate, and 3-page rules. Additional rules can be purchased through the CloudFlare dashboard.
The 'Pro' package costs € 20 per month and includes a CloudFlare rules-based web application firewall (WAF), mobile optimizations with Polish rules and 20 pages.
For € 200 a month, the 'Business' plan comes with WAF with 25 custom rule sets, 50 page rules and custom SSL certificate downloads.
The Enterprise level includes business-grade phone, chat, and email support, 24/7, 100-page rules, a named solution, and engineers for customer success.
Some users have reported delays in the analysis and registration systems.
(Image credit: Amazon)
2. Amazon Web Services WAF
Amazon is outdone with its easy-to-use firewall
Easy to use
Free level
Minimal setup
Amazon Web Services is part of Amazon.com. Provides cloud computing platforms on demand for individuals and businesses. As part of this subscription, users have access to AWS WAF.
AWS WAF is a web-based firewall that protects web applications from threats that compromise their security or resource consumption. The solution itself is simple and easy to use.
Users can create custom rules designed to block common attack patterns, such as cross-site scripting. The solution has a complete API that allows users to automate the creation, implementation and maintenance of all the rules used.
AWS WAF works by charging you for each new rule that you create. You do not pay a monthly fee, but you must subscribe to Amazon web services to access this feature.
Amazon Web Services includes a full 12-month free trial.
(Image credit: Image credit: Sophos)
3. Sophos XG Firewall
Sophos UTM delivers the best of UK cloud security
Multiple security features.
30 free trial days
Some UI issues.
Sophos is a UK-based security hardware and software company. It develops products for communication terminals, encryption, network security and unified threat management.
Sophos XG Firewall is a unified threat manager that also acts as a firewall. It also acts as a security application and a wireless gateway.
Users can manage settings from the Sophos 'Control Center'. From there, subscribers can access the utilities panel. This allows you to see your network, your users, and your applications. You can also add Sophos 'iView'. This provides centralized reporting across multiple firewalls.
The XG firewall management interface provides users with an overview of features such as traffic information, system statistics, and firewall rules.
Sophos offers users a free 30-day trial. This includes IPS, ATP, Sandboxing, Dual AV, Web and Application Control, Anti-Phishing, and Web Application Firewall. Subscribers should contact Sophos directly to receive a quote.
Some commenters have complained that the user interface is not intuitive and cannot be customized.
(Image credit: Akamai)
4. Akamai Kona Site Defender
Double Your Protection with the Akamai Firewall and Avoid DDoS Attacks
Integrated DDoS protection
Intuitive dashboard
Complete product information is not on the site
Akamai Technologies is a content delivery network and cloud service provider. It was founded in 1998.
Akamai Kona Site Defender integrates DDoS protection with your web application firewall. DDoS services identify and neutralize IP address threats using a scale of 1 to 10. These scores are based on the ability of IP addresses to generate suspicious traffic. Scores are used to allow, alert, or block based on the severity of the score. Users can also customize settings to choose which IP addresses to block.
The web application firewall inspects individual traffic. All malicious attacks are eradicated. This tool only works against web-based attacks.
Users can use the admin panel to access information such as reports and attack rates. The utility requires very little customization.
Subscribers should contact Akamai directly to start their free trial and get a quote.
Online commenters have lamented that no more information about the product is available on the Akamai website.
(Image credit: Imperva)
5. Impervate WAF
Imperva is a Swiss digital army knife with security tools
Free Trial
Multiple security features.
Non competitive price
Imperva is a web application firewall (WAF). It provides web application security, DDoS mitigation, content caching, application delivery, and load balancing across a global content delivery network.
The Imperva web application firewall functions as a gateway for all traffic originating from its online services. Filter malicious visits and queries, such as SQL injections and XSS attacks.
The solution uses multiple layers of security policies to identify threats. These are managed by a security team. Imperva uses attack information from its network to protect its users.
Imperva has 25 data centers around the world, providing 24/7 monitoring.
(Image credit: signal science)
6. WAF signal science
Rapid deployment
Flexible use
Easy management
Signal Sciences was created five years ago by security developers at Etsy. Since then, the company has developed and developed with a chain of high-level clients.
The highlight of the Signal Sciences WAF promotion is that too many existing services do not adequately serve modern IT infrastructures, especially when cloud technology is widely used, rather than relying on existing hardware.
Setup is so simple and fast that it can be done in minutes as there is no agent to deploy and all traffic is redirected through the Signal Services online service engine, where it can be monitored. and filtering on demand.
There is a single management console with built-in analytics that provides real-time monitoring. Therefore, it is not necessary to work on multiple interfaces. DevOps integration options are also available, including Slack, PagerDuty, and Jira.
Although designed for cloud applications, Signal Sciences WAF can work directly with hybrid clouds and server hardware. It can also work on-site, in containers, or in the cloud.
In terms of security, it blocks all common OWASP attacks, as well as malicious bots and denial of service attacks. The software is fully PCI 6 compliant.
Overall, Signal Science's WAF signal focuses not only on security, but also on overall management performance, reliability, and operability.