What is AWS WAF?
AWS WAF is a web application firewall that filters HTTP/HTTPS traffic to your web applications. The service protects against OWASP Top 10 attacks like SQL Injection, Cross-Site Scripting (XSS), and other web exploits. WAF can be placed directly in front of resources such as CloudFront, Application Load Balancer, API Gateway, AppSync, Cognito User Pools, App Runner, Verified Access, or Amplify.
Core Features
- Managed Rules: Predefined rulesets for common attack patterns
- Custom Rules: Custom rules based on IP, header, URI, or body
- Rate-Based Rules: Automatic blocking on too many requests
- Bot Control: Detection and blocking of bad bots
- Real-Time Metrics: Monitoring via CloudWatch and logging to S3/Kinesis
Typical Use Cases
Web Application Protection: E-commerce platforms and SaaS applications use WAF as the first line of defense. Managed Rules automatically block known attack patterns without manual configuration.
Bot Management: WAF Bot Control distinguishes between desired bots (search engines) and malicious bots (scrapers, credential stuffing). Companies protect their APIs from automated attacks.
Compliance: For PCI-DSS and other compliance frameworks, a WAF is often mandatory. AWS WAF provides the necessary logging and reporting capabilities.
Benefits
- No infrastructure to manage, scales automatically with traffic
- Managed Rules are automatically updated against new threats
- Low latency through deployment at CloudFront edge locations or directly on regional resources
- Flexible pricing: only pay for active rules and requests
Integration with innFactory
As an AWS Reseller, innFactory supports you with AWS WAF: security assessment, rule design, logging setup, incident response, and continuous WAF configuration optimization.
Typical Use Cases
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between AWS WAF and AWS Shield?
AWS WAF protects against Layer 7 attacks like SQL Injection and XSS. AWS Shield protects against Layer 3/4 DDoS attacks. For comprehensive protection, both services are combined.
Which AWS services can I protect with WAF?
AWS WAF can be placed in front of resources including Amazon CloudFront, Application Load Balancer, Amazon API Gateway (REST), AWS AppSync, Amazon Cognito User Pools, AWS App Runner, AWS Verified Access, and AWS Amplify.
What are AWS Managed Rules?
AWS Managed Rules are predefined rulesets from AWS and partners. They cover common attack patterns and are automatically updated when new threats are detected.
How do I test WAF rules without blocking traffic?
With Count mode, you can enable rules without blocking traffic. WAF counts and logs matches so you can analyze the impact before switching to Block mode.
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