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WAF Web Protection

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A Web Application Firewall (WAF) is a security appliance that sits between users and web servers, filtering malicious HTTP requests. WAFs detect and block SQL injection, XSS, DDoS, and credential stuffing attacks in real time. Used by security engineers, DevOps, and site reliability roles across finance, e-commerce, and SaaS. Salary band: $110–160k for mid-level WAF specialists. Takes 3–4 months to proficiency with Cloudflare, AWS WAF, or ModSecurity experience.

Vad är WAF Web Protection

A Web Application Firewall (WAF) is a security appliance or service that monitors, filters, and blocks malicious HTTP and HTTPS traffic destined for web applications. WAFs sit at the edge (either cloud-hosted or on-premise) and inspect request payloads for attacks like SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), command injection, and DDoS patterns before traffic reaches your application servers. WAFs use signature-based detection, behavioral analysis, and machine learning to classify requests as benign or hostile. They're deployed by every major web property (banks, e-commerce platforms, SaaS) and are often required by compliance frameworks (PCI-DSS, SOC 2).

🔧 VERKTYG & EKOSYSTEM
Cloudflare WAFAWS WAFModSecurityAkamai KonaImperva SecureSphereFortinet FortiWebOWASP ModSecurity RulesSnort IDS

💰 Lön per region

OmrådeNybörjareMidErfaren
USA$85k$140k$200k
UK£50k£90k£130k
EU€55k€95k€140k
CANADAC$80kC$130kC$185k

❓ Vanliga frågor

How does a WAF differ from a firewall?
A firewall filters traffic by IP and port; a WAF inspects HTTP payloads for attacks like SQL injection. WAFs sit at the application layer (layer 7); firewalls at the network layer (layer 3–4).
Do I need a WAF if I have a network firewall?
Yes. A network firewall stops some attacks, but sophisticated application-level attacks (SQLi, XSS, command injection) bypass network firewalls. A WAF is essential for web apps.
What's the performance cost of a WAF?
Well-tuned WAFs add 5–20ms latency. Cloud WAFs (Cloudflare, AWS) are highly optimized; on-premise WAFs may have higher overhead. Profile with your workload.
Can I use a WAF with my API?
Yes, but APIs present different attack patterns than HTML forms. Configure WAF rules for JSON payloads, API key validation, and rate limiting specific to your API schema.
How do I reduce false positives?
Start in detection mode (logging only), tune rules for your application, test thoroughly before enforcement, and use exception lists for known legitimate traffic patterns.

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