Anti Virus Vs Web Application Firewall

Antivirus is a data security utility which is installed in a computer system/PC with a purpose of protection from viruses, spyware, malware, rootkits, Trojans, phishing attacks, spam attack and other online cyber threats.

A Web application firewall (WAF) provides web security for online services from malicious security attacks such as SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS). WAFs detect and filter out threats which could degrade, compromise, or expose online applications to denial-of-service (DoS) attacks. WAFs examine HTTP traffic before it reaches the application server. They also protect against unauthorized transfer of data from the server.

WAFs can be built into hardware appliances, server-side software plugins, or filter traffic as-a-service. WAFs protect web applications from malicious endpoints and are essentially opposites of proxy servers (i.e. reverse proxies), which protect devices from malicious applications.

To ensure security, WAFs intercept and examine all HTTP requests. Bogus traffic is simply blocked or tested with CAPTCHA tests designed to stump harmful bots and computer programs.

The fine print of WAF administration is based on security procedures that are built upon customized policies, which should address the top web application security flaws listed by the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP).

Attacks That WAFs Prevent