Businesses of all sizes are at risk for cyber-attacks. Hackers are always looking for new ways to steal information or damage systems, and they don’t discriminate against size or industry. That’s why it’s imperative for businesses to have a web application firewall in place.
A web application firewall (WAF) is software that restricts access to computer network resources, primarily web applications, and applications on the internet. It can protect against viruses, hackers, spam, and other malicious attacks. WAF is becoming increasingly vital as a component of cyber security solutions because of the significant benefits it provides for your website. Here are some of those benefits:
Protects Against Data Theft
The most common way for hackers to break into your website is by using a dictionary or word list of common username and password combinations. They use these lists to try different user names and passwords until they find one that works. This method can be used on any website, but it’s especially effective on sites that don’t implement a strong password policy.
Installing a WAF with good features, such as the Cox Edge WAF features, on your web server can block an attack. You can also prevent other attacks, such as Structured Query Language (SQL) injection attacks, which steal sensitive information from databases within your website. This will ensure that your data is safe and secure and will help you avoid costly downtime if your site is hacked.
Maintains Website Uptime
When your website is down, you’re losing money. It’s as simple as that. Various things can cause downtime, but one of the most common causes is a cyber-attack. If your site is hacked, it can be taken offline until you can clean up the mess and restore it to its original state.
This is why it’s essential to have a WAF in place. A good WAF will protect your website from attacks and keep it up and running, even if an attack does manage to get through. This will minimize the downtime your site experiences and keep your business from losing revenue.
Shields From Cross-Site Scripting
WAFs are an excellent solution for preventing cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks. XSS is an attack where attackers inject malicious JavaScript code into another website they control. When another website visitor executes this code, it can be used to steal sensitive information or take over the website altogether.
Although XSS attacks are becoming increasingly common, they can be easily prevented with a WAF. By blocking the injection of malicious code before it has a chance to execute, you can protect your website and its visitors from this type of attack. It will also help protect your website from defacement as the attackers won’t be able to inject any code that could damage your reputation.
Protects Against DDoS Attacks
A distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack is when an attacker attempts to make a website or server unavailable by flooding it with traffic from multiple computers. These attacks can be incredibly difficult to defend against, but a good WAF can help.
Having a WAF in place can limit the traffic your website or server receives. This includes filtering out bad traffic and blocking malicious Internet Protocol (IP) addresses. This will help prevent your site from being taken offline by a DDoS attack and keep your company from losing revenue due to extended downtime.
Saves Time And Resources
When your website faces several recurring attacks, you’ll spend more time trying to fix the problems caused by those attacks. This can keep you from focusing on other essential tasks, such as improving your website or developing new products. It also means spending a lot of money on recovering and restoring your website each time it’s attacked.
A WAF can help you save time and money by preventing attacks before they happen. By having a reliable WAF in place, there’s no need to fix your website or restore it from backups constantly. This will free up your time so that you can devote your full attention to running your business. You also save money in the long run.
Conclusion
A WAF is an important tool for any website or server. It can help protect your site from various cybersecurity threats and also keep your site up and running in the event of an attack. For these reasons and other benefits discussed above, you might want to consider installing a WAF. It could spell the difference between a website that’s up and running and a website that’s constantly under attack.
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