The OWASP Top 10 is not a tool recommendation, nor is it a product matrix. They explain systemic risks in web and API apps, no matter the platform, the cloud or the vendor. As a matter of fact, however, the same question arises repeatedly:
Which of these risks can actually be addressed using AWS WAF Managed Rule Groups?
The short answer: AWS WAF can limit risk and make attacks visible, but it cannot fundamentally “fix” them.
AWS WAF is not a substitute for secure design. As a guardrail it covers known patterns and anomalies, but not against structural vulnerabilities to the application’s security model.
In this way a tidy mapping is also useful to know where AWS WAF is useful, where it functions only at the HTTP layer, and where additional controls are required.
AWS WAF in security model
The role of AWS WAF is a logical interface with client and application. It will analyze HTTP(S) requests in terms of managed rule groups and optional custom rules. Its strength resides where attacks materialize in the form of requests: injection payloads, previously identified bad inputs, automated abuse, credential stuffing, or unexpected traffic bursts.
Especially in environments where this value extends beyond blocking, such as managed rule groups, it has a signal and evidence functionality: they emit labels, counters, block events, and structured logs that can be processed centrally.
Just as important, though, is a boundary: AWS WAF knows nothing about business logic, has no role models, and makes no cryptographic decisions. Anything that occurs before or after the HTTP request is beyond the scope of the system.
OWASP Top 10 (2025) → AWS WAF Managed Rule Groups
The following table maps the OWASP Top 10 categories to AWS-managed WAF rule groups.
| OWASP Top 10 (2025) | AWS WAF Managed Rule Groups | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| A01 Broken Access Control | AWSManagedRulesCommonRuleSet AWSManagedRulesAdminProtectionRuleSet AWSManagedRulesAmazonIpReputationList AWSManagedRulesBotControlRuleSet | Reduces scanning and automated abuse on exposed endpoints, but does not enforce authorization or prevent insecure direct object references (IDOR). |
| A02 Security Misconfiguration | AWSManagedRulesCommonRuleSet AWSManagedRulesKnownBadInputsRuleSet AWSManagedRulesAmazonIpReputationList | Blocks simple exploit payloads, but does not fix insecure defaults, missing security headers, or IAM misconfigurations. Such aspects can only be partially addressed through targeted custom WAF rules. |
| A03 Software Supply Chain Failures | - | Originates before runtime (dependencies, CI/CD, artifacts) and lies entirely outside the WAF scope. |
| A04 Cryptographic Failures | - | TLS configuration, key management, and cryptographic algorithm selection are decided outside the WAF. Web application firewalls cannot detect or prevent these issues. Cryptographic weaknesses are instead identified through configuration and compliance tools such as Prowler. |
| A05 Injection | AWSManagedRulesSQLiRuleSet AWSManagedRulesCommonRuleSet AWSManagedRulesKnownBadInputsRuleSet | Using the AWSManagedRulesSQLiRuleSet, typical SQL injection patterns in query parameters, request bodies, and cookies can be reliably detected. |
| A06 Insecure Design | AWSManagedRulesCommonRuleSet AWSManagedRulesBotControlRuleSet | Managed rule groups such as AWSManagedRulesCommonRuleSet (indirectly) and AWSManagedRulesBotControlRuleSet, combined with rate-based rules, can limit automated abuse and anomalous request patterns, but do not detect business logic flaws. |
| A07 Authentication Failures | AWSManagedRulesATPRuleSet AWSManagedRulesACFPRuleSet AWSManagedRulesBotControlRuleSet AWSManagedRulesAmazonIpReputationList | Protects login and signup flows from automated abuse, but does not replace MFA or secure session design. |
| A08 Software & Data Integrity Failures | AWSManagedRulesCommonRuleSet (partial) | Blocks exploit payloads, but does not verify signatures or build integrity. |
| A09 Security Logging & Monitoring Failures | WAF logs & labels | Provides actionable signals, but does not replace a SIEM or incident response setup. |
| A10 Mishandling of Exceptional Conditions | AWSManagedRulesCommonRuleSet AWSManagedRulesKnownBadInputsRuleSet AWSManagedRulesBotControlRuleSet AWSManagedRulesAntiDDoSRuleSet | Filters anomalies and exceptional request patterns, but does not fix error handling in application code. |
Anti-DDoS to protect availability
The basic structure of the AWS WAF involves pattern matching plus a behavioural part such as AWSManagedRulesAntiDDoSRuleSet. The goal is not to detect specific payloads, but rather to identify traffic anomalies that indicate Layer-7 DDoS attacks or abnormal load spikes. AWS WAF can automatically respond to these events by blocking browsing momentarily or launching silent challenges. These are combined with specific labels being applied to requests made in the event.
Conclusion
When positioned correctly AWS WAF Managed Rule Groups are an effective solution as a Baseline. They allow detection and remediation of injection attacks, known malicious inputs, automated abuse and traffic anomalies. Nevertheless, the central OWASP risks like supply chain issues, cryptography, and insecure design are explicitly excluded from their focus.
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