WAF vs Firewall

Web Application Firewall (WAF) and Firewall are two powerful security tools that work together to keep networks and applications safe from malicious attacks. But what are the key differences between these two tools?

A WAF, also known as an Application Firewall, operates specifically for HTTP applications. It enforces a set of rules for HTTP communication, and acts as a shield against common attacks such as Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) and SQL Injection. The primary focus of a WAF is to proactively identify and fix vulnerabilities in web applications, constantly scanning for weaknesses and making patches in weak points.

On the other hand, a firewall is tasked with monitoring network traffic and providing an additional layer of protection for the network against malicious bots and various attack vectors.

WAFs offer several benefits to users, such as safeguarding customer data from being compromised, enforcing compliance, saving resources, and preventing attacks. They are a smart long-term investment for businesses.

When it comes to functionality, firewalls are administered in a network while WAFs are deployed near an application. This means that while firewalls focus on ensuring security on network traffic, WAFs concentrate on application network traffic. Additionally, firewalls are placed at the edge of a network to act as a barrier between known and trusted networks and unknown networks. WAFs, on the other hand, are placed before the application and servers to offer protection against any threat designed to attack servers.

Another key difference is the type of threats they protect against. Firewalls are designed to deny or permit access to networks, while WAFs are specifically designed to protect HTTP/HTTPS applications and servers against threats such as SQL Injection, DDOS attacks, and XSS attacks.

Finally, firewalls and WAFs also differ in the layers of the OSI model that they concentrate on. Firewalls focus on layers 3 (network) and 4 (transport) of the OSI model, while WAFs concentrate on layers 7 (application) and 8 (user-interface) of the OSI model.

In conclusion, WAFs and firewalls are both valuable security tools that work together to keep networks and applications safe from malicious attacks. However, they have distinct differences in terms of functionality, location, and protection against threats. Understanding these differences can help organizations make informed decisions about their security strategy.

Also in substack — https://bscotch.substack.com/p/waf-vs-firewall