Top 10 Web Application Firewall (WAF) Solutions in 2023

In this article, we will learn what a web application firewall is, what its advantages are, and what solutions can be implemented to avoid threats by using a WAF.

The web application firewall acts as a mediator between the web servers and the external internet. It filters the inside and outside traffic, which differentiates the server from the internet user. Moreover, it operates at OSI Layer 7. The unique feature of all the Web Application firewalls is that they can filter all the HTTP Traffic. The WAF system replies faster to the DDoS on the web server. The major drawback of WAF is that it does not filter other protocols like FTP or SMTP.

 

Types of Web Application Firewalls:

There are three different kind of Web Application Firewalls –

· Network based WAF.

· Software based WAF.

· Cloud based WAF.

 

Network Based WAF:

These are installed outside of the network and are developed to secure all the web applications on the network. They detect incoming traffic and block other traffic that does not match the security policies and are installed on the hardware devices. There are certain advantages and disadvantages of network based WAF. If we talk about the positive side of network based WAF, they are:

 

· It can secure all web applications on a network.

· to secure all the threats.

· blocks the outside traffic.

The disadvantages of the Network based WAF is:

· Requires a huge investment in hardware and maintenance.

· It needs a customized hardware or software solution.

Host-Based WAF:

It is installed as software on the personal web server and protects the web application running on that server. They can easily detect the incoming traffic to the web application server and block the traffic that is unnecessary, i.e., the traffic that does not match the security policies. Various Pros and cons include:

Pros:

· Does not require customized hardware.

· It can be installed on any type of web server.

 

Cons:

· It Requires a lot of extra assets to manage.

· It only secures the web application running on the web server where it is installed.

 

Cloud- based WAF

They are directed by a third-party provider. Cloud-based WAF is installed as a service, and they can also easily detect the incoming traffic and block the server that can damage the system.

 

Advantages:

· One does not need to buy or manage Firewall any hardware or software solutions.

· Used to secure any Web application server.

Disadvantages:

· Must subscribe to a third-party service.

· Are less secure as they are dependent on the provider of WAF.

 

Benefits of WAF:

Every now and then we talk about cyberthreats, which can cause a devastating experience for an organization. If any business or customer data gets leaked, it can harm the whole organization and its reputation among customers. WAF secures your organization from these kinds of threats. There are a lot of benefits to installing WAF:

1. Avoid Cyber Threats using cookies:

It is also known as session hijacking. Cybercriminals often change cookies to interrupt the user's security and steal his or her personal information illegally. As soon as a user logs in to an account, his or her personal details get stored with the hacker. WAF helps in preventing all these kinds of threats, and it sends an alert for fake cookies.

 

2. Avoid the cross-site scripting:

Cybercriminals can acquire any information wisely; in Cross-site scripting, they send the code through a web application to the other user to steal the delicate information of the customers. If you are using WAF, then it can help you a lot, as it detects and monitors these kinds of requests and blocks them when security conditions are not applicable.

 

3. Avoid changes in SQL:

SQL (Structured Query Language) is a programming language. A cybercriminal can make changes to the queries, which can easily allow them to receive the user’s personal or financial information. But WAF can avoid this too by switching off the rules that need SQL injection.

 

4. Avoid DDOS Attacks:

This kind of attack involves creating a huge amount of traffic with different devices that are infected by malware. This results in a denial of service to handle normal traffic. WAF can quickly investigate large traffic from a particular IP Address or huge traffic on a particular page, and it can avoid these kinds of activities.

 

                                                             Web Application Firewall Solutions:

We have discussed that installing a web application firewall can benefit businesses a lot, so there are ample solutions or software that you can use to reduce the chances of cyberthreats. So now let us move forward with the solutions that you can implement.

 

1. Stack Path WAF:

It is a subscription-based cloud service that can investigate all your traffic before it goes to your web server. Moreover, it gives additional security to the web server. Various features of this include:

· Prevents DDOS

· Virus Protection

· Easily access the IP Address

 

2. Fortinet Forti Web:

This is offered as a SaaS system, and it is also available for private cloud hosting, though it can be executed as a Container- based system. This solution can help you detect dodgy activity and keep a user up to date about the cybercriminal’s strategies. It will be very useful to you if you Buy  Fortinet firewall from a Fortinet provider like Wroffy to carry out business functions smoothly. Certain features of it are:

· Block DDOS

· Valuable Brand

 

3. Sucuri Website Firewall:

It is a cloud-based protection system, and here all your web traffic reaches first; this means that your website address is being hosted by this server. It uses different techniques to scan the web traffic easily. Various features of it include:

· Quick scanning

· DDOS protection

 

4. Imperva Cloud WAF:

It is regarded as one of the important players in cybersecurity, and it can quickly catch incoming traffic and filter all the traffic before it reaches the web server. Besides this, it is connected to other web enhancement services like CDNs (content delivery networks).

Features:

· Secure

· Continuous site availability.

 

5. Prophaze WAF:

It is an AI-based platform, and it has a unique kind of IDS (intrusion detection system) feature. This WAF blocks the viruses and the other infected malware sites. Certain features include:

· Provides 24/7 support on teams, zooms, or Google.

· Involves protection from bot, RASP, DDOS

· Can be customized at all types of WAF

 

6. MS Azure WAF:

MS Azure has two-in-one features that can easily protect web servers from attacks and scan incoming traffic that can cause harm. It also provides protection in case of data loss through a reverse firewall.

Features:

· Scans traffic

· Secure data

 

7. App Trana:

It is a cloud-based solution that involves a web application firewall, DDOS, bots, and API Security. All you need to do is transfer your traffic to this app. It has a lot of security measures that prevent cyberattacks. It includes no onboarding cost and provides full DDoS security.

Features:

· CDN

· API security

· Protection against Failover

· Cloud-based system

 

8. F5 Essential App:

It is like the Fortinet Firewall. F5 is quite famous for its network appliance firewall, and it also owns NGINX Inc. It is a cloud-based web application server. This app is very easy to run, as it does not require any technical knowledge and can be managed through the dashboard with any of the browsers.

Features:

· Easy to run.

· Connected to NGNIX

 

9. Cloud Flare WAF:

It is an online service that is widely used. This WAF solution has been successful in securing web hosts from DDoS attacks. It can also be joined with other web services like CDNs or DDoS Protection.

Features:

· CDN

· Free option

· Protection against failover.

· Threat intelligence

 

10. Barracuda Web Application Firewall:

It is available as a SaaS system, or it can be installed on a private cloud. It investigates incoming and outgoing traffic and has the capacity to block traffic-based attacks, malware, and other unknown suspicious activities. This solution also helps avoid data loss.

Features:

· Secures traffic.

· Blocks harmful pages.

· Protect from data loss.

 

These are the top 10 solutions that should be adopted to reduce cyberthreats as soon as possible. Attacks can harm you a lot, so be sure that you implement the perfect solution to avoid them.