Guarding the application layer
A web application firewall inspects HTTP requests and blocks known attack patterns like injection and cross site scripting before they reach the app. Bot protection tackles automated abuse such as credential stuffing and scraping.
How a WAF decides
- Signature rules match known malicious payloads and block them.
- Anomaly scoring flags requests that deviate from normal shape and size.
- Virtual patching blocks exploitation of a known bug until the code is fixed.
Bot management
Bots are filtered with challenges like proof of work or interactive checks, reputation from known bad networks, and behavioral analysis of timing and navigation. The aim is to stop abusive automation while letting good bots and real users through.
The tuning tradeoff
Both tools risk false positives that block real users. Run rules in monitor mode first, observe what they would block, then enforce once confident.
Key idea
A WAF filters malicious HTTP patterns and bot protection stops abusive automation, both tuned in monitor mode first to avoid blocking real users.