Cloud Managed Services - Everything You Need to Know (CAF and WAF)
2022-09-12 13:03:39
Businesses looking for innovative cloud-managed services may be confused by all the different terminologies used. Understandable when technology changes so quickly. Despite this, it is pertinent that companies respond accordingly.
In particular, protecting your business against cybercrime, data mining, and other malicious attempts to hack your systems should be front of mind. With the cost of cybercrime expected to reach $10.5 trillion by 2025, and interestingly, half of all attacks occur on web applications, it is now a necessity to address your business's cybersecurity.
This article will explain the importance of a secure cloud-managed service and explore what it involves.
Let's dive straight in!
Cloud Managed Services Explained
There are two main factors to consider when having a successful cloud-managed service: WAF and CAF.
- Web Application Firewall (WAF) and
- Cloud Adoption Framework (CAF)
Let's look at these in turn:
Web Application Firewall (WAF): An Overview
WAF provides you security via a service or application. It blocks service calls, inputs, and outputs that don't meet your firewall's policies, thus protecting your websites and other online platforms from potential attacks.
This firewall type is more potent than a standard firewall or intrusion detection system as it places a filter in front of your application that inspects incoming online traffic to keep any malicious activity or threats at bay.
Usually, specialists locate a WAF in your data centre as an app. But, it's important to note that on its own, it is not sufficient to protect your business against attacks.
As an alternative, companies are utilising cloud-based firewalls to better protect themselves against cyber attacks.
Cloud Adoption Framework (CAF): An Overview
Unlike a WAF, an on-premises firewall or data centre, the CAF is a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS). As such, it's accessible via a mobile app or a web interface.
A CAF is a less cumbersome solution that you can integrate with your existing security measures. An external SaaS provider also manages this framework, making it easier to scale in line with your needs.
These and other conveniences and benefits make it a more attractive solution for smaller businesses that still need to meet legal requirements surrounding data—for example, POPIA or other similar country-specific legislations.
The Importance of Cloud-Managed Services
While your business must comply with legal data protection requirements, it's also vital to follow any industry regulations by which you must abide.
The beauty of a CAF is that it's scalable. So it can grow holistically with your business as it expands, or conversely, it can also downscale should your business model change. Furthermore, it is straightforward and quick to set up. One can also utilise it as a pay-as-you-grow service.
Lastly, it generates shareable reports detailing attacks the system has successfully avoided.
Overall, this cloud-managed service offers advanced detection against major cyber attacks, including those listed by the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP), which often bypasses more traditional firewalls.
These advanced detections include:
Broken Access Control: External attackers attempt to access, delete, modify, or perform actions on your websites without permission by accessing admin-only permissions.
Cryptographic Failures: also referred to previously as Sensitive Data Exposure, whereby hackers can access credit card numbers, passwords, and other personal information that is not adequately protected.
What to Consider
There are several factors to consider when choosing a web application firewall (whether based in a data centre (WAF) or the cloud (CAF)). Either way, a framework should meet the following criteria:
Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS) compliance, ensuring any credit, debit, or cash payments are secure and protected from data breaches and attacks.
Protection Against Application Attacks which protects from Layer 7 DDoS attacks and is also inclusive of:
- SQL injection
- OWASP risks
- Cross-site scripting
- Zero-day web application attacks.
A good solution will also prevent fraudulent transactions via in-browser hijacking, amongst others.
Other Considerations
Application Infrastructure and Network Architecture: WAFs monitor and respond to HTTP/S traffic and function as a 'wall' between the application server and the person requesting access to it.
It inspects those requests and replies before forwarding them to your site. Thus enabling your firewall via reverse-proxy mode, bridge mode, or router mode to block anything it identifies as malicious.
Effective Security and Detection Methods: Your provider should apply various methods to ensure network security while avoiding blocking any legitimate traffic to your sites.
The most commonly utilised way to achieve this is with a negative security model, whereby permissions include all transactions except those identified as threats or attacks.
In summary, if you're looking for an out-of-the-box solution that protects your data by blocking any of the OWASP's top 10 threats, VSS and web injections, a negative security model is one such approach.
Alternatively, you can adopt a positive security model that blocks all traffic and permits only known and valid transactions. This practical method protects you against previously unknown threats based on statistical analysis and strict content validation rules.
Are You Ready to Benefit From Cloud Managed Services?
Reliable and secure cloud-managed services safeguard your organisation against potential cyber risks and malicious attacks. Cloud-based solutions also offer a more scalable and flexible approach than on-premises options.
So, if you're interested, contact us at Daisy today to learn more about adopting a cloud-managed service for your business. We look forward to speaking with you soon!
