Walter Lawrence
Southern New Hampshire University
CYB 310 -- Network Defense
Professor Ostering
September 29, 2022
Module 5 Web Application Firewall
Web application firewalls and basic network firewalls have soma similarities and some
differences. They have them in their name. Web app based is controlled via a website while
network is a physical device that is also controlled via website. A WAF provides protection by
targeting the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) traffic. This is different than a standard
firewall which controls both internal and external traffic (WAF Vs. Firewall: Web Application &
Network Firewalls, n.d.). The WAF sits between external users and web applications to analyze
the HTTP communication. If it picks up any malicious activity it will block that site or activity
before it even reaches the user. The WAF does a good job with securing business-critical web
applications or websites (WAF Vs. Firewall: Web Application & Network Firewalls, n.d.).
Network based firewalls protect a secured local area network from unauthorized access
including malicious websites, email attachments and keeps the risk of an attack low. The primary
objective of this is to separate a secured zone from an unsecured zone which helps keep the
example if an external public IP address isn't blocked then it can get through allowing anyone
who has that IP address to gain access to sensitive data on the business network (WAF Vs.
Firewall: Web Application & Network Firewalls, n.d.)
For the OSI model the WAF mainly operates at layer 7 which in turn protects the network
from attacks toward SQL, Java and against the URL or website itself. For a network-based
firewall they operate at layer 3 and 4 which ensures protection for incoming and outgoing traffic.
The components that would be protected by this would be the SMTP, FTP and DNS.
Organizations can benefit from using the WAF because they work both with public
websites/networks and outside connection. Having this will not only help to stop attacks but will
protect them when they are on certain sites. If they are on a site that is blocked by the policy the
site firewall would not allow them to access which will keep the network safe from malicious
attacks on the network. It also helps keep the network traffic to less unknowns that could happen
cause a user gets bored and goes on Facebook during the day which would ultimately put the
network at risk especially if a virus is embedded in it. For network firewalls they can also come
in handy with keeping the incoming data to a minimum. With having a WAF and a network-
based firewall this helps in putting a lot of protection on the network. Both firewalls will help
eliminate any sort of threat with incoming traffic on the network and traffic that is being used via
a website. With this type of defense together the network should stay safe and not allow any
bogus, virus, or malicious activity to get through the network or onto computers via the website