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What is WAF?

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collin rons
What is WAF?

A web filtering program is what is known as a WAF in computer lingo. It is designed to block or remove web pages that may be considered inappropriate for viewing by a particular age group, gender, language, and other descriptors. In other words, a web filtering program prevents certain material from being viewed on the Internet. Often times web sites are created that cater to certain interests or are based around a particular religion, the style of music, film, or hobby. As a result, it can be very difficult to browse through a wide variety of web sites without having to worry about some type of filter.

 

A web filtering program is a special type of program that filters, guards, and controls all HTTP traffic that comes into and leaves an IP-based system. This includes all information sent and received by any application on any web server, including both text and multimedia packets. In short, this type of program is used to control and limit access to a computer system. The goal of a WAF is to prevent hackers from obtaining admin access and from sending harmful data across the Internet. However, there are times when a WAF is not enough to prevent a malicious attack on a particular IP address.

 

There are several types of common attacks that can originate from different locations on the Internet, including attacks that originate from servers that are not running secure software. For example, if a person sends out an email to a friend using a free email service such as Yahoo or Hotmail, and the email did not have an appropriate open file permission, that friend can open up the attachment and begin searching for valuable information that is available through the search engines. If an IP address has a common Web port number, many innocent people who are searching for helpful or interesting information will open the attachment only to find viruses, spyware, or adware that is installed on their PC. However, there are ways for an IP address to be hidden from an observer for an extended period of time, thereby allowing a WAF to be implemented. This is why some businesses prefer to use traditional firewalls as well as web application security solutions such as Applocker.

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