Home > Enterprise > Security > Web Application Firewall (WAF)

Web Application Firewall (WAF)

Protect web servers and web applications from malware and threats, by providing a layer of protection between end users and applications.

Experience unparalleled security and flexibility with our mCloud WAF service, powered by the advanced capabilities of NSFOCUS technology.

Web applications are the lifeblood of businesses, enabling critical functions such as customer engagement, transactions, and data exchange. As these applications become more sophisticated, they also become prime targets for cyber threats. Organisations that require absolute control and security over their web applications need a robust, dedicated solution that goes beyond standard protections. The mCloud Web Application Firewall (WAF) emerges as the premier choice for such organisations, offering unparalleled security features, comprehensive control, and the benefits of a dedicated appliance.

Provided as a dedicated Web Application Firewall appliance, mCloud WAF is designed to protect any Micron21 service — including mCloud Virtual Machine Instances, Colocation services, Dedicated Servers, and even externally hosted services. By deploying this dedicated appliance, you gain absolute control over your web application security infrastructure, ensuring robust protection against a wide range of cyber threats.

mCloud WAF is a comprehensive security solution designed to protect web applications from a wide array of cyber threats, including the most sophisticated attacks. Using this, organisations gain complete control over their web application security infrastructure, ensuring that all policies, configurations, and data remain within their secure environment.

Web Application Firewalls can protect against:

  • Injection: SQL Injection Attacks use a web form or other mechanism to send SQL commands or commands containing SQL special characters. The attacker can then trigger the backend SQL database to execute the injected commands and allow unauthorised users to obtain sensitive information from a database.
  • Cross-site scripting (XSS): XSS attacks exploit a web server that does not validate data coming from another site. XSS can enable attackers to obtain sensitive information, or to compromise a Web server.
  • Sensitive data exposure: If web applications do not protect sensitive data (including credit card and social security numbers), attackers are able to conduct identity theft, credit card fraud, and other crimes.
  • Cross-site request forgery (CSRF): CSRF attacks force a user to send an HTTP request, including the victim's session cookie, to a vulnerable web application. To the vulnerable web application, this appears to be a legitimate request coming from the victim.

Global Threat Intelligence Feeds

Our mCloud WAF integrates seamlessly with global threat intelligence feeds to automatically block known malicious traffic, keeping your services safeguarded against the latest threats.

It offers comprehensive API protection, defending your APIs from a multitude of attacks by validating requests and enforcing strict adherence to protocols.

The WAF’s advanced behavioural analysis monitors user interactions in real-time, identifying and blocking malicious activities by analysing patterns and anomalies in user behaviour.

Website Defacement Protection

Enhancing your security further, mCloud WAF provides website defacement protection through page prefetch management.

This feature ensures that even if your web server is compromised, the WAF can serve the correct, untampered content to your users by prefetching and caching clean pages.

Our sophisticated bot protection employs patented technology and human-machine recognition mechanisms to effectively neutralise malicious bots. With dynamic encapsulation and dynamic obfuscation, the WAF prevents unauthorised crawling and submission of business data, protecting your information from being tampered with or harvested.

The Imperative for Absolute Control and Security

While cloud-based WAF services like AWS WAF and Cloudflare WAF offer convenience and ease of deployment, they may not meet the stringent security and compliance requirements of organisations that handle sensitive data or operate in regulated industries.

These services often involve shared infrastructure and limited customization, which can be a concern for businesses needing full control over their security environment.

In contrast, deploying a dedicated WAF appliance like mCloud WAF ensures that all security measures are under the organisation’s direct management, providing the highest level of protection and compliance.

Key Features and Benefits

Threat Protection

Offers robust protection against known and emerging threats, including SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and other vulnerabilities listed in the OWASP Top 10.

Advanced Security Features

Incorporates cutting-edge security technologies to enhance detection accuracy and reduce false positives, such as its virtual patching capability which allows organisations to secure applications before official patches are applied.

Behavioural Analysis

Employs advanced behavioural analysis to monitor and analyse user interactions in real-time. By establishing a baseline of normal behaviour, it can identify anomalies indicative of malicious activity

Website Defacement Protection

Offers robust website defacement protection through its page prefetch management feature, protecting websites from defacement, which can severely damage an organisation’s reputation and erode customer trust.

SSL/TLS Traffic Inspection

Able to decrypt and inspect SSL/TLS traffic, detecting threats concealed within encrypted connections. By offloading encryption and decryption tasks from web servers, it enhances overall system performance while maintaining secure communication channels.

Intrusion Prevention System

Includes IPS features that detect and prevent vulnerability exploits by monitoring network traffic for malicious activities. This integration provides an additional layer of defence, safeguarding applications against a broader spectrum of threats.

Granular Customization

Allows for detailed customization of security policies to meet specific organisational needs. Administrators can tailor rules based on application requirements, user behaviours, and threat landscapes - enabling organisations to have absolute control over their security policies, configurations, and data.

Deployment Flexibility

Available as a hardware appliance, mCloud WAF can be deployed on-premises, providing complete control over the security environment. This is particularly advantageous for organisations with strict compliance requirements or those that prefer to keep their security infrastructure separate from cloud environments.

High Performance and Scalability

Designed for high throughput with minimal latency, mCloud WAF ensures that robust security does not come at the expense of performance. By residing within the organisation’s network, it reduces latency associated with cloud-based solutions.

mCloud WAF ensures consistent performance and does not rely on external networks, which is critical for applications requiring high availability and responsiveness. Its scalable architecture can handle increasing traffic demands, making it suitable for businesses of all sizes.

Load balancing capabilities further optimise performance, ensuring consistent protection even during peak traffic periods.

Comprehensive Reporting and Analytics

Detailed logs and reports provide insights into security events, trends, and compliance status - this information is crucial for auditing purposes and helps organisations meet regulatory requirements such as PCI DSS, HIPAA, and GDPR.

The comprehensive reporting facilitates transparency and supports informed decision-making regarding security policies and incident responses.

Integration Capabilities

mCloud WAF can integrate seamlessly with existing security infrastructure, including Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) systems, intrusion detection systems, and other network security tools.

This interoperability enhances the overall security posture and simplifies management by providing a unified view of security across the organisation.

By integrating with other systems, mCloud WAF contributes to a cohesive and efficient security ecosystem.

mCloud WAF - The Ultimate Choice for Uncompromised Security

When absolute control and security are non-negotiable, mCloud WAF stands as the superior choice. Its dedicated appliance model ensures that organisations have full ownership of their security environment, enabling them to implement tailored policies, respond swiftly to emerging threats, and comply with regulatory mandates.

By choosing mCloud WAF, businesses invest in a solution that not only protects against current cyber threats but is also adaptable to future challenges. Its advanced features, combined with high performance and scalability, make it the ideal choice for organisations that cannot afford to compromise on security.

In a world where cyber threats are constantly evolving, and the cost of a data breach can be catastrophic, having the right defences in place is crucial. mCloud WAF provides the comprehensive protection, control, and peace of mind that organisations need to operate securely in the digital age.

Come see us for yourself.

Book a tour to our state-of-the-art Tier IV Data Centre

Need Help?

Speak to one of our Australian-Based Team now

Sign up for the Micron21 Newsletter