Imperva Web Application Firewall

Imperva's Web Application Firewall (WAF) manages protecting web applications from sophisticated cyber threats, including SQL injection, cross-site scripting, and other OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities. The technical architecture of Imperva WAF is designed to provide defense-in-depth, whether deployed on-premises, in AWS, Azure, or as a cloud service.

The WAF analyzes and inspects incoming requests to applications and APIs, leveraging machine learning to create a positive security model that dynamically learns normal application behavior to distinguish it from malicious activities. This approach minimizes false positives and ensures high accuracy out-of-the-box, requiring little to no tuning. Imperva WAF also integrates with leading Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) systems, exporting events in formats such as syslog, Common Event Format (CEF), and JSON for seamless incident response.

Operationally, Imperva WAF offers rich graphical reporting capabilities to help organizations meet regulatory compliance standards like PCI, SOX, HIPAA, and FISMA. The solution includes additional security features such as bot control, account takeover protection, backdoor protection, and two-factor authentication. However, the effectiveness of these features can be limited by the complexity of the application environment and the need for continuous updates to stay ahead of evolving threats.

From a technical standpoint, Imperva WAF is highly customizable, allowing for the creation of custom rules to secure API interfaces and automated virtual patching to protect all applications with a single change. While it is effective against zero-day attacks and OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities, the scalability and performance of the WAF can be impacted by high traffic volumes and the need for ongoing monitoring and maintenance to ensure optimal security efficacy.