Since it is installed locally it minimizes latency, however it also requires the storage and maintenance of the physical equipment. A network-based WAF is generally hardware-based.Types of Web Application Firewalls and Deployment OptionsĪ WAF can be implemented in various ways, each with its own unique advantages and disadvantages. However, a web application firewall provides protection up to layer 7.

The main difference between a firewall and a web application firewall is that a firewall is usually associated with protection for only the network and transport layers (layers 3 and 4). Just as a proxy server acts as an intermediary to protect the identity of a client, in a traditional deployment, a WAF operates in similar fashion but in the reverse-called a reverse proxy - acting as an intermediary that protects the web app server from a potentially malicious client.

A WAF protects the web apps by filtering, monitoring, and blocking any malicious HTTP/S traffic traveling to the web application, and also prevents any unauthorized data from leaving the application, by adhering to a set of policies that help determine what traffic is malicious and what traffic is safe. When a WAF is deployed in front of a web application, a protective shield is placed between the web application and the internet that monitors all the traffic between the application and the end user(s). How Does A Web Application Firewall (WAF) Work? With the right WAF in place, you can successfully block the array of attacks that aim to exfiltrate data by compromising the systems. Attacks to applications are the leading cause of breaches-they are the gateway to your valuable data. In addition, it also safeguards applications and websites against vulnerabilities, exploitations and zero-day assaults.

WAF protects web applications from attacks such as cross-site forgery, server-side request forgery, file inclusion, and SQL injection, among others.

Watch this Radware Minute episode with Radware’s Uri Dorot to learn what a web application firewall is, why it is important to have one, how it works, and what you should look for when choosing one.

Web application firewall