Cybersecurity has become increasingly popular with around 70% of websites using HTTPS. While being an important part of a secure solution, it will not always prevent unwanted access and attacks on your website.
As we continue to move deeper into this digital world, more of our personal information is being stored online, with many not realizing the extent to which websites are exposed to external threats. These attacks can include:
Cross-Site Scripting, where Cybercriminals send malicious code through the web applications directly to a different end user in an attempt to access their cookies or other sensitive data that has been saved in the browser;
SQL Injection, where the queries between your website and database are modified, granting the user access to important personal or financial information. This can be done in many ways including adding SQL code into text boxes in order to gain additional information from that query.
DDos attacks, where several malware-infected devices overwhelm the web application with a large amount of traffic, cause performance issues, denial-of-service to your website users, and weaken security.
To protect their customers' data, many organisations have started to utilize Web Application Firewalls (WAF). Although not meant to fully replace a traditional network firewall, Web Application Firewalls are implemented directly on the application layer, allowing them to assist in protecting websites and web applications by intercepting, filtering, and monitoring HTTP traffic between the website/web application and the internet based on a set of rules.
While not a bullet-proof security solution, web application firewalls play a major role in creating a secure environment. There are three types of web application firewalls, namely: 1. hardware-based, 2. software-based and 3. cloud-based each coming with its own list of advantages and disadvantages.
A hardware-based WAF, otherwise known as a network-level web application firewall sits locally within your environment and typically involves a custom hardware solution. This does however increase your capital and operational expenditure and is generally tailored to large organizations to assist in managing and securing their on-premise appliances and infrastructure with a highly customizable, low-latency solution.
Alternatively, companies can implement a software-based WAF. Recommended for mid-to-large scale organizations, this solution provides lower upfront and maintenance costs but adversely comes with complex deployments and relies on the application server resources to run effectively.
As mentioned previously, organizations are also able to use cloud-based WAFs. Implemented by organisations of all sizes, this solution is marketed as an affordable, easy-to-implement, subscription-based service that is a great option for multi-cloud environments. This solution does however cause a slight increase in the lag experienced by users as they are redirected by the firewall.
While requiring a ranging level of setup depending on your technical environment, web application firewalls have become a “must have” with regards to creating a safe and secure environment for your websites and web applications.
If your organisation needs to increase the security of your data environment, our experts are ready to provide you with all the advisory, most effective technology solutions, and processes necessary to undertake this transition.
Keyrus prides itself on assisting customers with the advisory and practical implementation of technology to build sustainable growth for your business. The experts at Keyrus have a passion for designing a solution to any business challenges your organisation may face, we make data matter.
Learn more about Keyrus or contact us directly at steven.hunt@keyrus.co.za.