Website Firewalls

The Website Firewall protects Web applications and Web services from malicious attacks, and can also increase the performance and scalability of these applications. The Website Firewall provides:

- Single point of protection for inbound and outbound traffic for all Web applications

- Protection of Web site and Web applications against application layer attacks

- Best practices security right out of the box

- Monitoring of traffic and provides reports about attackers and attack attempts

A Website Firewall is an intermediary device, sitting between a web-client and a web server, analyzing OSI Layer-7 messages for violations in the programmed security policy. The Website Firewall is used as a security device protecting the web server from attack. Website Firewalls are designed to restrict access to certain ports, or services that an administrator doesn't want unauthorized people to access.

Website Firewalls will also assist organizations of all types that store, process and/or transmit credit card numbers, comply with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) requirements. In response to increased identity theft incidents and security breaches, major credit card companies collaborated in Sept. 2006 to create the 12 procedural and system requirements, commonly known as PCI DSS version 1.1, to standardize how to store and access Primary Account Number (PAN) information.

Web Application Firewalls are often called 'Deep Packet Inspection Firewalls' because they look at every request and response within the HTTP/HTTPS/SOAP/XML-RPC/Web Service layers. Some Web Application Firewalls look for certain 'attack signatures' to try to identify a specific attack that an intruder may be sending, while others look for abnormal behavior that doesn't fit the websites normal traffic patterns. Web Application Firewalls can be either software, or hardware appliance based and are installed in front of a Web Server in an effort to try and shield it from incoming attacks.