A Web Application Firewall (WAF) is a security system that is designed to protect a website from malicious attacks and vulnerabilities. It does this by inspecting incoming traffic to the website and blocking requests that appear to be malicious or otherwise suspicious.
WAFs are important for websites because they can help to protect against a variety of threats, including:
- SQL injection attacks: These are attacks that inject malicious code into a website\’s database through a vulnerable input field, such as a login form. A WAF can help to block these types of attacks by inspecting the incoming traffic for signs of malicious code.
- Cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks: These are attacks that inject malicious code into a website\’s pages, which can then be executed by other users who visit the site. A WAF can help to block these types of attacks by inspecting the incoming traffic for signs of malicious code.
- Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks: These are attacks that flood a website with traffic in an attempt to overwhelm the server and make the website unavailable. A WAF can help to block these types of attacks by detecting and blocking the excessive traffic.
Overall, a WAF can be an important tool for protecting a website from malicious attacks and vulnerabilities, which can help to ensure the security and reliability of the site.
