
IT Security
An Introductory Guide To Web Application Firewall
By TechDogs Editorial Team

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Overview
Dr. Stephen Strange was one such solo superhero. He could fly, control time and space, create entire mirror dimensions and also use magical spells. What we personally love the most are his Shields of Seraphim; magically conjured fiery shields that could block hits from opponents.
Incidentally, Web Application Firewalls are quite similar to the Shields of Seraphim. They deploy (fiery) shields between web applications and the dark forces of the Internet to keep businesses safe. Read on to know how Web Application Firewalls work, their evolution, benefits and future!
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We believe that Dr. Strange was one of the most powerful superheroes in the Marvel Universe. After all, how many individuals can conjure up magical shields at the twist of their wrist? The Shields of Seraphim were fiery protective barriers against mystical and supernatural threats. While we all dream of being as cool as Dr. Strange with his suave cape and magical fire shields – we can’t.
What we can do, however, is deploy virtual Shields of Seraphim to protect our IT assets against cyber threats. We’re referring to Web Application Firewalls, of course! It is a special type of firewall that applies specifically to web applications. It is installed in front of web applications to examine bi-directional web traffic sent over the HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) layer, that is Internet traffic. It assists businesses in detecting and blocking malicious requests as well as preventing cyber threats from affecting their applications. We must add, if your IT infrastructure has mystical and supernatural issues, you definitely need to call Dr. Strange!
For the rest, read on to understand what Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) are, how they work, their importance for businesses and why they are closer to Dr. Strange than you might think.
Understanding Web Application Firewalls (WAFs)
As we said, these are the virtual equivalent of Dr. Strange’s fire-walls (pun intended!). A Web Application Firewall (WAF) helps protect web applications by filtering and monitoring HTTP traffic between a web application and the Internet. It protects the enterprise infrastructure from various attacks that typically allow bad actors access via website applications. These threats include cross-site forgery (tricks victims into using their credentials on a forged site), cross-site scripting (tricks web browsers into running malicious code) or SQL injection (performs unauthorized commands on victim's SQL database), among others.
When a WAF is deployed in front of a web application, it simply creates a barrier between the web application and the Internet. A WAF might be network-based, host-based or cloud-based, depending on business requirements. Yet, we did not have so many options earlier – here’s a quick look at the evolution of WAFs.
How Did Web Application Firewall Evolve?
There were three stages of evolution when it came to Web Application Firewalls:
The first Web Application Firewalls entered the market in the late 1990s. This was a time when web server attacks were becoming more prevalent. The early versions of WAF were developed by Perfecto Technologies through its AppShield product. Other early WAF products, especially those from Kavado and Gilian Technologies, were available in the market to help protect business applications from rising cyber-attacks. These tools were also referred to as Web Application Firewalls 1.0.
Then, in 2002, the open-source project called ModSecurity was founded to make WAF technologies more accessible to the market. They established a core set of rules for protecting web applications based on the OASIS Web Application Security Technical Committee’s (WAS TC) work. Later, in 2003, the organization expanded and standardized rules through its Open Web Application Security Project’s (OWASP) Top 10 List. This was an annually updated ranking for the top web security vulnerabilities. This list became the industry standard for web application security compliance in the late 2000s. This was the Web Application Firewall 2.0 era.
As the market continued to grow and evolve, businesses needed better firewall technologies. In the early 2010s, various enterprises started focusing on credit card fraud prevention, which needed better WAFs. With the development of the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), a standardization of cardholder data, security became more regulated for financial web applications. Similarly, WAFs were developed for sectors, considering the most significant web challenges for those domains. Besides, modern WAFs could develop a model of normal application functioning to quickly detect anomalies and issues in web applications. This is what we refer to as Web Application Firewall 3.0.
Well, while we’re waiting for the 4.0 update, why don’t we take a look at how Web Application Firewalls work?
What’s The Magic Behind Web Application Firewalls?
We wish it were as easy as Dr. Strange doing magic stuff – but we promise we will make it simple. You see, a Web Application Firewall protects your web apps by filtering, monitoring and blocking malicious HTTP/S traffic traveling to the web application. This prevents any unauthorized data/users from entering your systems through the app.
To do this, it sets and adheres to a set of policies that help determine what traffic is malicious and what traffic is safe. Just as a proxy server acts as an intermediary to protect an online user from cyber threats, a WAF operates as a proxy – but in reverse order. This is called a reverse proxy, where the firewall acts as an intermediary to protect the web application server from a potentially malicious client.
The policies can be customized to meet the unique needs of the web application or set of web applications that an enterprise uses. Although WAFs may require you to update the policies regularly to address new vulnerabilities, advances in Machine Learning enable some WAFs to update automatically. The latest WAF 3.0 have this automation capability as it is critical to continually assess the threat landscape as it grows in complexity and ambiguity.
Safe to say, Web Application Firewalls are critical to modern businesses and individuals. Read on to understand how important a Web Application Firewall is – hint: pretty much like Dr. Strange’s sentient cape that keeps him safe and secure.
Why Do Businesses Need Web Application Firewalls?
How smooth was that!
Well, if you want to smoothly deploy and maintain IT assets and web applications, you need a WAF like Dr. Strange needs his cape. This tool is flexible and can be a virtual or physical solution that prevents vulnerabilities from exploiting your web applications. Sometimes, vulnerabilities may not be external - the application could be a legacy type or insufficiently coded by design. Here, the WAF addresses these shortcomings through a special configuration of policies. While the IT team resolves vulnerabilities in the code (remediation), Web Application Firewalls can provide a temporary but immediate fix. This type of virtual patch can come in handy for new versions of web applications.
Furthermore, instead of reacting to cyber-attacks, businesses can proactively increase the security of a web application through WAF. It can even pinpoint and address vulnerabilities within enterprise web applications. Additionally, traditional firewalls merely compare online traffic against a defined list of threats and are incapable of identifying or protecting against new threats. WAF solutions, however, use automated Machine Learning models to identify suspicious behavior to protect from emerging attacks.
If that wasn't enough, a WAF is essential to today's business landscape because of its advantages over traditional firewalls. WAFs offer greater visibility into sensitive application data communicated over the HTTP/S layer. This can help prevent cyber-attacks that can bypass traditional network firewalls.
Remember when we mentioned WAF 4.0? Well, it’s time for a sneak peek!
Peeking Into The Future Of Web Application Firewalls
Well, Doc, what are WAFs like in the future?
Unlike Dr. Stephen Strange, WAFs are not a standalone security solution; rather they are meant to be used in conjunction with other enterprise security solutions to provide a holistic defense strategy. As a result, future Web Application Firewalls will become smarter to integrate better with the overall enterprise security infrastructure. Furthermore, these tools will connect with the increasingly in-demand IoT web applications, resulting in an array of real-time vulnerability tracking features.
Web Application Firewalls will also be automated in the future thanks to Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. WAF platforms will be able to establish a baseline of normal traffic patterns to
identify and resolve anomalies on their own. Web Application Firewalls 4.0 will self-learn and operate without direct human intervention. The future of Web Application Firewalls looks bright!
Conclusion
A Web Application Firewall essentially sits between a client’s browser and your web application server. It decrypts and encrypts all HTTPS traffic so it can be inspected and analyzed. These tools then take actions defined by protocols to block malicious traffic and users. This tool is the virtual Shield of Seraphim; helping enterprises protect themselves from the dark forces of the online world.
Don’t wait for Dr. Strange to rescue your web applications – invest in a Web Application Firewall to secure your online applications now!
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Web Application Firewall (WAF) and how does it work?
A Web Application Firewall (WAF) acts as a protective barrier between web applications and the internet, akin to Dr. Strange's mystical shields. It filters and monitors HTTP traffic, detecting and blocking malicious requests that could compromise the security of web applications. Operating as a reverse proxy, it sets and enforces policies to distinguish safe from malicious traffic, safeguarding web application servers from potential threats.
How has the Web Application Firewall evolved over time?
The evolution of Web Application Firewalls has seen significant advancements. Initially emerging in the late 1990s to combat rising web server attacks, early versions provided basic protection. Subsequent developments, marked by the advent of open-source projects like ModSecurity in the early 2000s, introduced standardized rulesets for enhanced security. As the threat landscape evolved, particularly with the rise of credit card fraud prevention in the early 2010s, modern WAFs emerged, equipped with advanced features like anomaly detection and real-time vulnerability tracking, culminating in the current era of WAF 3.0.
Why do businesses need Web Application Firewalls?
Businesses require Web Application Firewalls to fortify their IT assets and web applications against cyber threats. Similar to how Dr. Strange relies on his cape for protection, a WAF offers a flexible defense mechanism against vulnerabilities, whether external or inherent in the application's design. By proactively addressing vulnerabilities and leveraging machine learning to identify emerging threats, WAFs provide greater security than traditional firewalls. Their ability to offer visibility into sensitive application data communicated over the HTTP/S layer ensures comprehensive protection in today's increasingly interconnected digital landscape.
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