A WAF forms an essential element of a strong online application. It actively monitors and filters data packets as they enter or exit an application, detecting and stopping attacks. This helps prevent data breaches, service disruptions, and reputational damage.

This blog will teach you about WAFs, their different types, essential factors to consider when choosing a WAF solution, and the top 10 WAF solutions available.

Let’s get started!

What is WAF?

Website Application Firewalls or WAFs are software applications that intercept and monitor web traffic while blocking online hackers with malicious intent. Without proper WAF solutions, a range of online threats can target and harm most apps and websites. These threats include DDoSattacks, cross-site scripting (XSS), SQL injections, and more.

Types of WAF Solutions

Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) come in different types, each offering various levels of protection and functionalities:

1. Cloud-based: Cloud providers host these WAFs and offer them as Software as a Service (SaaS). They scale easily, integrate smoothly, and manage simply. Cloud-based WAFs effectively handle high traffic volumes.

2. Network-based: Organizations install network-based WAFs at the network perimeter to safeguard all web applications on the network. These WAFs examine incoming network traffic and prevent any traffic that does not adhere to the established security rules.

3. Host-based: These WAFs operate on individual web servers, protecting the specific web application on that server. They examine incoming web traffic and block any that violates security rules. Typically, host-based WAFs run as software solutions on the web server.

4. Hybrid WAFs: These combine cloud-based and on-premises solutions, offering benefits of both deployment methods. They suit businesses using both cloud and on-premises applications. Hybrid WAFs deploy flexibly and adapt to changing infrastructure needs.

5. Integrated WAFs: These WAFs work with other security solutions like content delivery networks (CDNs) or load balancers. They add security layers and combat complex cyber threats more effectively. Integrated WAFs streamline security approaches, reducing the need for multiple standalone solutions.

Essential Factors in Choosing a WAF

When selecting a Web Application Firewall (WAF), application security engineers should consider several key factors to ensure they choose the right solution for their organization's needs.

Scalability

As the organization grows, the web traffic volume increases. Choose a WAF that scales well to handle increased demands without sacrificing performance. Look for a solution that grows seamlessly with the organization, strengthening the defenses as your digital presence expands.

Ease of Deployment

Organizations should select a WAF that they can easily deploy and smoothly integrate with the current infrastructure to save valuable resources. Opt for solutions that support various deployment options - on-premises, in the cloud, or a hybrid model. Ensure compatibility with popular web servers, databases, and content delivery networks for seamless integration.

User-Friendly Interface

Choose a WAF with a user-friendly management interface that empowers your security team to configure and monitor it efficiently. Look for intuitive dashboards and controls that allow even non-technical users to manage and understand the security environment effectively.

Comprehensive Threat Coverage

Select a robust WAF that provides comprehensive threat coverage, protecting against common vulnerabilities like SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and more. Ensure your chosen WAF comes equipped with regularly updated threat intelligence to stay ahead of emerging risks.

Adaptive Security Policies

Choose a WAF that utilizes adaptive security policies, dynamically adjusting to the evolving threat environment. This approach ensures effective protection without hindering the functionality of the web applications.

Performance Impact and False Positive Rates

Evaluate how the WAF impacts the speed and responsiveness of the web applications. Also, pay attention to false positive rates - instances where the WAF mistakenly flags legitimate traffic as malicious. Strive to find a balance between stringent security measures and minimal impact on performance.

Top 10 WAF Solutions in 2024

Here are the top 10 WAF solutions that protect websites and applications from cyber threats.

1. MS Azure Web Application Firewall

Microsoft Azure Web Application Firewall, a well-known and competent service, protects the web assets from hacker attacks and scans outgoing traffic to block any kind of data theft. The Azure platform hosts this WAF system and protects Azure and the web assets.

Key Highlights

• It offers a range of features that prevent unauthorized data filtration.

• Its flexible pay-as-you-go pricing model attracts organizations with variable web traffic.

• It provides robust DDoS protection against volumetric attacks and scans for common vulnerabilities.

2. Akamai App & App Protector

Akamai App & App Protector combines a web application firewall with bot mitigation, API security, and layer 7 DDoS protection. The platform suits organizations of diverse backgrounds and sizes that need a versatile yet powerful solution.

Key Highlights

• It provides easy management and a clean interface with extensive visibility into all traffic and attacks.

• It delivers high performance for end-users, with a wide range of customization options.

• It offers a range of pricing models, each with varied features and capabilities for different use cases.

• It features an advanced API discovery feature that allows admins to manage risks with new or previously unknown APIs easily.

• It supports DevOps integration through a simple GUI.

3. AppTrana

Indusface offers AppTrana, a fully managed cloud-based WAF security solution. AppTrana provides a range of powerful features, including bot mitigation, API security, DAST scanners, managed services, virtual patching, managed custom rules, and CDNfor website acceleration.

Key Highlights

• AppTrana continuously uncovers vulnerabilities and boosts content delivery speeds with its robust Content Delivery Network.

• It offers manual testing and a comprehensive suite of cloud-hosted web application security tools.

• Security teams can conduct on-demand security evaluations to immediately patch all kinds of vulnerabilities.

4. Sucuri Website Firewall

Sucuri WAF, a cloud-hosted service platform, provides a firewall and DDoS blocking to protect the web servers. The platform optimizes transfer with caching on the Sucuri server and blocks malicious traffic using various techniques, rather than using a CDN network.

Key Highlights

• The tool differentiates between legitimate and malicious traffic to adequately protect apps and websites.

• It leverages a detailed and comprehensive database of threat intelligence for robust protection.

• The platform uses caching techniques to enhance website speed and availability.

• Security teams can create custom rules to stop specific types of traffic and protect web applications from unique threats.

5. Cloudflare

Cloudflare delivers enterprise-grade WAF solutions that protect from various threats, including cross-site scripting, SQL injection attacks, and other cross-site forgery requests. This web infrastructure and cybersecurity company not only provides OWASP's top 10 protection and custom rules but also pushes custom rules to all clients when necessary.

Key Highlights

• Specializes in CDN services to protect companies at the network edge and remediate DDoS attacks.

• Adapts to ever-changing threat patterns using machine learning, offering advanced protection against emerging threats.

• Monitors the Internet for new types of vulnerabilities to develop custom rules that best solve the problem.

6. Fortinet FortiWeb

Fortinet FortiWeb WAF solution offers robust protection against web threats. It provides an advanced layer of security, making it one of the best tools for advanced cyber threat protection, especially for organizations requiring heavy security measures.

Key Highlights

• It delivers robust threat detection, providing an intelligent response to online attacks.

• FortiWeb integrates effectively with third parties and connects to various third-party reporting tools, which enhances its overall utility and security measures.

• It features security integration with FortiGate NGFWs and FortiSandBox.

7. Imperva Cloud-based WAF

Imperva cloud-based WAF powerfully protects websites and apps from the newest and most sophisticated web threats. It safeguards assets regardless of their location, either in the cloud or on-premise. Additionally, Imperva's security experts monitor new vulnerability environments from external sources and propagate updated WAF rules daily.

Key Highlights

• Imperva's WAF employs advanced techniques, including behavioral analysis, JavaScript challenges, and fingerprinting, to identify and block bots.

• It delivers advanced DDoS protection to keep apps available during attacks, both as a cloud product and as an on-premise solution.

8. F5 Distributed Cloud WAF

F5 Distributed Cloud WAF protects web applications from cyber threats with advanced cloud-based features. It uses advanced security capabilities and machine learning technology to detect and block malicious traffic, ensuring web application remains safe and available to legitimate users.

Key Highlights

• The solution provides powerful security monitoring and threat analysis.

• Security engineers can integrate it with other F5 products, such as BIG-IP and Silverline DDoS prevention.

• It offers custom rules and controls to protect the applications and infrastructure against known and developing cyber threats.

• It provides simple dashboards and reporting features that allow security teams to monitor application security and gain insights into security occurrences.

9. Prophaze Web Application Firewall

Prophaze, another cloud-based server, functions as a web application firewall. It uses AI technology to refine cyber threat detection rules by adjusting standard behavior. This approach reduces the number of false alarms and allows legitimate website visitors unrestricted access to the website.

Key Highlights

• It uses AI-driven web traffic analysis to refine detection and reduce instances of false positives.

• The solution safeguards against automated cyber threats.

• Security teams can rapidly onboard, set up, and deploy within a few simple steps.

• It performs SSL offloading and inspection, which helps detect and prevent attacks hidden within encrypted traffic.

10. Reblaze WAF

Reblaze WAF (Web Application Firewall) protects web applications, APIs, and mobile services against various cyber threats through an integrated cloud-based platform.

The platform combines a strong Web Application Firewall (WAF), comprehensive DoS/DDoS protection, advanced bot management, and real-time traffic monitoring. Reblaze's cloud-native deployment allows automatic scaling of bandwidth and compute resources as needed.

Key Highlights

• The next-gen Web Application Firewall (WAF) protects against various web threats.

• Sophisticated bot management effectively distinguishes and handles automated threats.

• Real-time monitoring and control provide detailed visibility and management of web traffic via an intuitive console.

Final Thoughts

Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) play a crucial role in protecting online applications from various cyber threats. They monitor and filter web traffic to defend against attacks such as DDoS, SQL injections, and cross-site scripting.

When selecting a WAF, organizations should evaluate factors like scalability, deployment ease, user interface, threat coverage, adaptive security policies, and performance impact. While WAFs robustly protect against various web-based threats, organizations need a more comprehensive security strategy.

This strategy must safeguard APIs, which attackers increasingly target. By integrating a dedicated API security platform alongside WAF, organizations ensure thorough protection for both web applications and APIs from emerging threats. Solutions like Akto continuously monitor, test, and protect APIs, complementing the WAF's security and strengthening the overall security posture. To learn more book a demo today.