Day 2 (Web Application Firewall)

Title: Securing Web Applications with AWS WAF

Introduction
With the rise of cyber threats, protecting web applications is essential. AWS WAF (Web Application Firewall) offers an effective way to filter and monitor web traffic, safeguarding against threats like SQL injection and cross-site scripting.

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What is AWS WAF?

AWS WAF is a security tool designed to protect web applications from attacks by filtering and blocking malicious traffic. It allows developers to define custom rules to control traffic patterns, ensuring only legitimate traffic reaches their application.

Example Use Case: Imagine you have an e-commerce website hosted on AWS. Using AWS WAF, you can define rules to block requests from suspicious IPs or prevent actions common to known attack patterns, ensuring that only genuine customers interact with your site.

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Implementation: AWS WAF for Web Application Protection

Let’s dive into implementing AWS WAF to secure a sample web application.

Project Overview

Objective: Deploy a web application on AWS and configure AWS WAF to block malicious requests.

Steps:

1. Set Up the Web Application on EC2

   • Deploy a sample web application on an EC2 instance (e.g., a simple Node.js or PHP app).

   • Configure the security group to allow HTTP/HTTPS access.

2. Configure AWS WAF

   • Go to the AWS WAF console and create a WebACL (Web Access Control List).

   • Define rules to filter malicious requests:

     • Example Rule: Block IP addresses associated with known attack patterns or block specific patterns in query strings to prevent SQL injections.

3. Attach AWS WAF to Your Application

   • Attach the WebACL to the AWS resources serving your application (e.g., an Application Load Balancer in front of the EC2 instance).

4. Test AWS WAF

   • Use tools like curl or Postman to send test requests to the application.

   • Simulate malicious requests to confirm that AWS WAF is blocking them according to your defined rules.

Conclusion

AWS WAF provides an efficient way to secure web applications hosted on AWS. By implementing AWS WAF with specific rules tailored to your app's needs, you can enhance security, minimize the risk of attacks, and ensure a safe experience for your users.