Firewalls are designed to control access to network resources, and these are usually utilized by businesses to protect their networks. One of the reasons firewalls have become staples in network security is that they can address nearly all attacks directed at networks. However, despite their effectiveness in controlling access, many firewalls are not designed to detect and prevent application-level attacks.

Changing environment

The inability of a network firewall to protect web apps is a reality that hackers recognize. They do not spend time looking for open ports on perimeter firewalls. The more severe attacks in the internet environment today are from attempts to exploit the known vulnerabilities of applications. They are more interested in services like HTTP (TCP port 80) and HTTPS (TCP port 443) that are open in several networks. It is not easy for access control devices to detect malicious probes targeting these services.

By directly targeting applications, the hackers try to achieve at least one of their goals, such as:

• Denying service to legitimate users;
• Gaining administrator access to clients or servers;
• Gaining access to back-end information databases;
• Installing Trojan horse software to bypass security;
• Installing sniffer software on servers to capture user IDs and passwords.

Application-level attacks are becoming more sophisticated, which means that defenses must go beyond that sophistication. The shift in the methodology of cyberattacks means that aside from protecting networks, firewalls must understand the behavior of applications to better protect them from hazards and attacks. There should be multilayer security gateways with dynamic access control.

Website management today

In terms of website management, one of the essential aspects is the ability to keep ahead of the threats, security risks, and critical vulnerabilities that a robust WAF security solution can prevent. As cyberattack methodologies mature, web application firewall or WAF solutions must be stronger and more resilient to prevent actors from penetrating security defenses.

A web application firewall is not a lightweight solution. However, it can thwart various forms of cyberattacks, making it an invaluable tool for many enterprises. But enterprises must also be conscious that the threats to web app security are real. Therefore, they must be vigilant in ensuring their security solutions and security measures are up to date and solid in the face of the escalating growth of the attack surface.

As technology evolves, new attack vectors emerge, increasing the need for comprehensive security tools. In the past, device endpoint protection and network security were the focus of enterprises. Next came the cloud and mobile technology. Today, enterprises rely on application programming interfaces (APIs). However, APIs naturally expose sensitive data and application logic, making them targets of bad cyber actors. In addition, when enterprises move essential components to the apps' client-side, the movement creates a much bigger attack surface, heightening the risk of attacks like API abuse, overlay attacks, session abuse, Document Object Model tampering, and formjacking.

Higher level of web app security

Given new attack vectors today, a web app security solution must have a layered security approach. Minimally, the WAF solution should have:

Layer 1: Web application firewall

A WAF filters the site by setting and implementing the rules on allowing users and visitors to interact with the site. In addition, WAFs protect websites against Open Web Applications Security Project (OWASP) threats such as SQL injection and injection of malicious scripts.

Layer 2: Access control

With access control, you protect your site's front-end and back-end data. In this layer, WAF implements restrictions on what the users can do and access and the functions users can conduct on the data they can access. For example, the limits can be on the number of times a user can request authentication to access the website within a day, IP address, or the time of day. In addition, this component of your WAF should be able to determine backdoor access points, block malicious access, and make them useless. The application should also notify you of the threat and its location.

Layer 3: Bot protection

Bots can be good or bad. You need good bots, such as bots from social media platforms and search engines, because they help you increase site visibility. But there are harmful and malicious bots. These are the bots cyber attackers deploy to wreak havoc on your website. The WAF should be able to distinguish the bots and know how to deal with them.

Layer 4: Login protection

It is easy to overlook that you should also have login protection, which WAF can accomplish via two-factor authentication. This shield needs the user to provide their authorized login information and a one-time authentication through SMS or email to check their identity.

In total, there are seven layers of cybersecurity. These layers will provide your website apps a near to impenetrable shield against cyberattacks. However, data is not created equally. Thus, you need different levels of protection. It will be a more effective solution if you can identify the kinds of data your organization has and categorize which types of data are mission-critical. Once identified, you can focus your security program on it to keep your organization more secure.

Why implement a layered security approach?

It's going to be a never-ending challenge if you focus on every facet of security control. New threats and new vulnerabilities will always be there, as hackers are always ahead of enterprises. Penetrating security becomes more complex with a layered approach, as the layers work together to provide your web apps a stronger defense against attacks.

A multi-pronged approach to cybersecurity that centers on what you need to protect the most are the best way to protect your organization.

Building a layered cybersecurity program requires expert knowledge and thorough analysis. First, you should understand the current environment around you—from globalization to cloud computing to remote work. While these aspects improve productivity and efficiencies in the workplace considerably, these factors also provide new vectors for hackers.

Perform an inventory of your existing systems. Determine if your security controls are adequate and correctly configured. Next, check whether the security programs you have now are what you need before you add more. Next, evaluate your current security program and ensure that you are complying with federal and industry regulations. Finally, discover what needs fixing and put security investments on top of your priority list.

Continue the regular testing and analysis, but always be prepared for an attack. This means that you should have a secure backup, incident response plan, and disaster recovery program.

Conclusion

Attacks on web applications occur everywhere, as bad actors continue to push the boundaries in finding new attack vectors. Organizations must respond firmly by ensuring that they deploy a modern WAF with a multi-layered approach, as hackers are still successful in implementing DDoS, SQL injection, and cross-site scripting attacks. The multi-layered approach will defend your APIs and web apps from the more elaborate multi-vector attacks.