What Are Next-Generation Firewalls? 

A Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW) is a cyber security system with capabilities that go beyond those of conventional firewalls to defend network fronts. NGFW come with extra functions like intrusion prevention and deep packet inspection, which classic firewalls lack. Traditional firewalls identify suspicious traffic and restrict network access based on a predetermined blacklist.

Characteristics Of Next-Generation Firewalls 

Different suppliers provide different functionalities as part of their NGFW systems. You should search for the following qualities in an NGFW: 

Threat prevention at the network edge 

Uses sandboxing, URL filtering, and behaviour analysis to identify and deal with threats including malware, ransomware, and SQL injection. This prevents assaults from entering the network.

Geolocation 

IP address and geographic coordinates are correlated to limit access depending on location or to route traffic to particular servers. 

Internet gateway or reverse proxy 

Offers a proxy that closes connections, even HTTPS sessions that are encrypted, and after examining material, sends it to a web server. 

IDS/IPSs (intrusion detection and prevention systems) 

Based on recognised signatures or general attack forms to thwart known attacks, detects and stops system intrusions.

What Is a Web Application Firewall? 

A Web Application Firewall (WAF) is a filter that stands in front of web-based programmes and examines HTTP/S traffic between the programme and the internet in order to find and stop threats and malicious behaviour. Similar to conventional firewalls, WAF employs rules to identify and block unauthorised traffic. With an instantaneous policy change capability, a WAF enables you to react to assaults and environmental changes considerably more quickly.

Look For These Features In Web Application Firewalls 

The natural step following an NGFW is a WAF. Generally speaking, it has the same functionality as NGFW while also having these other capabilities: 

Protection against the Automated Top 20 and OWASP Top 10 

The most serious risks to web application security must be guarded against by WAF solutions. Imperva offers defence against the hazards listed in the Top 10 Threats of the Automated Top 20 Threats and the Top 10 Threats of the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP), including SQL Injection, Remote File Inclusion, and Cross-Site Scripting.

Attack recognition 

Your cybersecurity teams must accurately identify attacks while reducing the amount of false positives in order to concentrate their efforts on preventing the most serious risks to systems and networks. Using proprietary dynamic application profiling and attack validation, which learns every feature of online applications including URLs, parameters, and allowed user inputs and directories, Imperva WAF does this with high accuracy and blocks malicious traffic. You may examine each violation by using correlated attack validation.

Thorough reporting 

To make it simple for you to comprehend what's occurring in your system, WAF solutions should offer comprehensive reports in an understandable format. By doing so, you may swiftly evaluate the security state of your apps and show that they adhere to regulations like PCI, SOX, HIPAA, and FISMA. To assist you in meeting regulatory compliance and getting a complete picture of your security situation, Imperva WAF can provide comprehensive, predefined, and customised graphical reports.

Integration of SIEM 

Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) products from reputable vendors like Splunk and ArcSight should be integrated with WAF systems. Integrating with the top security SIEM suppliers, Imperva WAF allows for the export of events in formats including Syslog messages, JSON, and Common Event Format (CEF). Event management is made simple by Imperva WAF by indexing events in real-time to facilitate rapid Incident Response (IR).

Web application firewalls versus next-generation firewalls 

The security research firm Gartner created the comparison chart above, which highlights the key distinctions between WAF and NGFW. 

Nearly all the characteristics of the more traditional NGFW systems are offered by WAF solutions. Additionally, they employ clever rules to guard against a variety of assaults, including SQL Injection and Cross-Site Scripting, which improves their capacity to protect online applications. In order to more effectively prevent attacks, WAF solutions are also adaptive and have the capacity to learn new rules and policies in real-time. 

Learn more about other cybersecurity solutions by contacting with specialist from Spectrum Edge !