1"use strict";(globalThis.webpackChunkans_co_uk_docs=globalThis.webpackChunkans_co_uk_docs||[]).push([[20612],{20799:(e,a,t)=>{t.r(a),t.d(a,{assets:()=>r,contentTitle:()=>l,default:()=>d,frontMatter:()=>n,metadata:()=>i,toc:()=>c});const i=JSON.parse('{"id":"security/web-application-firewall/what-is-a-waf/index","title":"What is a Web Application Firewall","description":"General information on Web Application Firewalls and how they work","source":"@site/docs/security/web-application-firewall/what-is-a-waf/index.md","sourceDirName":"security/web-application-firewall/what-is-a-waf","slug":"/security/web-application-firewall/what-is-a-waf/","permalink":"/docs/security/web-application-firewall/what-is-a-waf/","draft":false,"unlisted":false,"editUrl":"https://github.com/ans-group/ans.co.uk-docs/tree/main/docs/security/web-application-firewall/what-is-a-waf/index.md","tags":[],"version":"current","sidebarPosition":1,"frontMatter":{"sidebar_position":1,"sidebar_label":"What is a Web Application Firewall?","title":"What is a Web Application Firewall","description":"General information on Web Application Firewalls and how they work","keywords":["ans","ddosx","web application firewall","waf","owasp","owasp top 10"]},"sidebar":"documentationSidebar","previous":{"title":"Web Application Firewall","permalink":"/docs/security/web-application-firewall/"},"next":{"title":"What kind of attacks does a WAF prevent?","permalink":"/docs/security/web-application-firewall/attacks/"}}');var o=t(74848),s=t(28453);const n={sidebar_position:1,sidebar_label:"What is a Web Application Firewall?",title:"What is a Web Application Firewall",description:"General information on Web Application Firewalls and how they work",keywords:["ans","ddosx","web application firewall","waf","owasp","owasp top 10"]},l="What is a Web Application Firewall?",r={},c=[{value:"How does a WAF work?",id:"how-does-a-waf-work",level:2}];function p(e){const a={a:"a",h1:"h1",h2:"h2",header:"header",p:"p",...(0,s.R)(),...e.components};return(0,o.jsxs)(o.Fragment,{children:[(0,o.jsx)(a.header,{children:(0,o.jsx)(a.h1,{id:"what-is-a-web-application-firewall",children:"What is a Web Application Firewall?"})}),"\n",(0,o.jsx)(a.p,{children:"A Web Application Firewall (WAF) is a piece of software installed on a proxy that is used to filter, control, and analyse traffic sent to and from a web application e.g. a website.\nOn a simple level a WAF is a firewall that has been specifically configured from the ground up to cover web applications, as opposed to a standard firewall that works based on access lists, input & output, and access controls."}),"\n",(0,o.jsx)(a.p,{children:'ANS WAFs follow the good security practice of "block everything, only allow what is necessary". This approach ensures the WAF detects and prevents as many attacks as possible, and secures your application accordingly.'}),"\n",(0,o.jsx)(a.h2,{id:"how-does-a-waf-work",children:"How does a WAF work?"}),"\n",(0,o.jsx)(a.p,{children:"A WAF operates by following specially built rules and rulesets. Starting from a standard ruleset, ANS can configure these specifically for your solution and applications to ensure that all traffic to the monitored web applications are checked. If traffic matches the ruleset it will be allowed through, otherwise it will be dropped immediately and the potential attack will be prevented."}),"\n",(0,o.jsxs)(a.p,{children:["However, every web application can be different and have specific methods of inputting data. Given this, it is possible for some legitimate traffic to get caught by the WAF filter and dropped. To mitigate this risk on an ongoing basis, ANS has a dedicated analyst team who will work with you to advise on ruleset updates and tweaks for your WAF. Often this team will spot problems and correct them before it becomes apparent to customers, however if you do believe your WAF is not functioning optimally then please contact support, raise a ticket via ",(0,o.jsx)(a.a,{href:"https://ans.glass",children:"ANS Glass"})," or call your ANS account manager."]})]})}function d(e={}){const{wrapper:a}={...(0,s.R)(),...e.components};return a?(0,o.jsx)(a,{...e,children:(0,o.jsx)(p,{...e})}):p(e)}},28453:(e,a,t)=>{t.d(a,{R:()=>n,x:()=>l});var i=t(96540);const o={},s=i.createContext(o);function n(e){const a=i.useContext(s);return i.useMemo(function(){return"function"==typeof e?e(a):{...a,...e}},[a,e])}function l(e){let a;return a=e.disableParentContext?"function"==typeof e.components?e.components(o):e.components||o:n(e.components),i.createElement(s.Provider,{value:a},e.children)}}}]);
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