Hosting & Infrastructure
Web Application Firewall (WAF)
Also known as: WAF
A firewall that filters HTTP traffic to protect web applications from attacks.
A Web Application Firewall (WAF) is a security layer that inspects HTTP/HTTPS traffic to and from a web application, blocking common attacks such as SQL injection, cross-site scripting, and malicious bots.
Where a network firewall guards the perimeter, a WAF protects at the application layer, which is important for web apps that handle PHI, since application vulnerabilities are a leading cause of data breaches. Where a WAF sits in the stack is in HIPAA hosting security measures.