What is AWS WAF?
AWS WAF (Web Application Firewall) is a service that protects web applications from malicious attacks by filtering and monitoring incoming traffic based on defined rules. It safeguards against common web vulnerabilities such as SQL injection, cross-site scripting, and more.
How AWS WAF Works:
AWS WAF acts as a protective layer for your web applications, allowing you to define and enforce security rules to filter and control incoming web traffic, thereby minimizing the risk of common web vulnerabilities and attacks.
Here's an overview of how AWS WAF works:
1.Web ACL (Access Control List) Creation:
You start by creating a Web ACL, which is a set of rules that defines the conditions under which a web request is allowed or blocked.
Each rule within the Web ACL specifies a condition, such as the presence of a specific string in the request, the source IP address, or the type of web browser.
2.Rule Evaluation:
AWS WAF allows you to create rules that define the criteria for blocking or allowing requests. These rules are evaluated in a specified order.
Rules can be based on IP addresses, geographic locations, SQL injection patterns, cross-site scripting (XSS) patterns, and more.
3.Conditions and Filters:
Conditions are used to define the logic of each rule. For example, you can create conditions to check if a specific string exists in a request or if the request originates from a particular IP address.
Filters can be applied to condition values to further refine the matching criteria.
4.Web Requests Filtering:
When a web request is made to your application, it passes through the AWS WAF service.
The rules and conditions in the Web ACL are then applied to the request to determine whether it should be allowed, blocked, or flagged for further action.
5.Action Execution:
Based on the evaluation of rules, AWS WAF takes predefined actions. Actions can include allowing the request, blocking the request, or counting the request (logging without blocking).
Additionally, you can integrate AWS WAF with other AWS services, such as AWS CloudFront, to distribute your web application content globally and apply WAF protection at the edge locations.
6.Logging and Monitoring:
AWS WAF provides detailed logging that allows you to monitor web traffic and the actions taken by the WAF rules.
You can use AWS CloudWatch Logs to store and analyze these logs, gaining insights into potential threats and patterns of malicious activity.
7.Managed Rules and Custom Rules:
AWS WAF offers a set of managed rulesets that are continuously updated to protect against common threats. These rulesets cover issues such as SQL injection, cross-site scripting, and more.
You can also create custom rules tailored to the specific requirements of your application.
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