A firewall monitoring your website for any possible threats is necessary for small businesses!
A WAF (Web Application Firewall) is a specific application that filters, monitors, and prevents certain HTTP traffic to and from a website. Inspecting HTTP traffic can prevent attacks, such as SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), file inclusion, and improper system configuration.
According to IBM, cyberattacks on companies in 2021 cost a record $4.24 million per report. A US National Cyber Security Alliance study found that approximately 60% of businesses that suffer a cyberattack eventually go out of business. The cost of a cybersecurity breach is too high for small businesses.
Benefits of Implementing a WAF
To protect your small business website, a WAF is important. Take a look at these benefits of utilizing a WAF.
1. Protection Against Vulnerabilities and Threats
A WAF allows business owners to mitigate threats before they reach the website. WAFs help prevent vulnerabilities on your website from being exploited by blocking illegitimate traffic and potentially malicious users.
2. Detection and Prevention of Malicious Bots
CAPTCHA challenges are common ways to prevent bot traffic. The purpose of these challenges is to protect forms from malicious users and spam. The WAF is much more than a CAPTCHA challenge, however. WAFs identify and block malicious bot traffic from ever accessing your website.
3. DDoS Attack Prevention
In distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, your website faces a flood of traffic, preventing regular traffic from accessing it and potentially revealing security vulnerabilities.
To prevent DDoS attacks, you should protect your website with a managed, intelligent firewall that can handle sudden traffic spikes.
4. Enhanced Website Security and Performance
A WAF blocks spyware, viruses, worms, phishing, cross-site scripting, SQL injections, and other cyber-security threats. As a result, you improve website performance and security.
5. Advanced IP and Geo-Blocking Controls
In most WAFs, you can find out which IP addresses or sets of IP addresses are repeatedly attacking your website. WAFs can be used to block these IP addresses manually or automatically.
Furthermore, most WAFs offer the option of blocking entire countries. It is critical to use geo-blocking carefully, as you don’t want to accidentally restrict legitimate customers or crawlers who index and rank your website.
Website Security Solution Recommendations
Ensure that your website developer or web hosting provider has included a WAF in your package and has configured it correctly. It would be wise if you did not assume that your website is automatically protected by a robust Web Application Firewall. A WAF may come with your package, but it will likely need to be configured by a website security expert.
Contact Our Web Security Experts
FXV Digital Design understands small business security risks. Taking advantage of our ongoing maintenance packages allows you to focus on other critical business matters rather than worrying about your website security. Get in touch with us today to learn more about our maintenance packages or to schedule a complimentary consultation with one of our experts! You may also stay included on our latest news and promotions on our Facebook page.