bg_image
header

Web Application Firewall - WAF

A web application firewall (WAF) is a security solution that has been specially developed to protect web applications. It monitors traffic between web browsers and web applications to detect and block potentially harmful or unwanted activity. Essentially, a WAF acts as a shield that protects web applications from a variety of attacks, including

  1. SQL injection: an attack technique where attackers inject malicious SQL queries to access or manipulate the database.
  2. Cross-site scripting (XSS): An attack method where attackers inject scripts into websites to compromise users, such as by stealing session cookies or performing malicious actions on the user's behalf.
  3. Cross-site request forgery (CSRF): An attack in which an attacker makes a fraudulent request on behalf of an authenticated user to perform unwanted actions.
  4. Brute force attacks: Repeated attempts to log into a system using stolen or guessed credentials.
  5. Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS): Attacks in which a large number of requests are sent to a web application in order to overload it and make it inaccessible.

    A WAF analyzes HTTP and HTTPS traffic and applies specific rules and filters to identify and block suspicious activity. It can be implemented both at server level and as a cloud-based solution and is an important part of a comprehensive security strategy for web applications.

HTTP-Amplification

HTTP Amplification is a term often used in the context of cyber attacks and internet security. It refers to a type of Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack where the attacker uses HTTP requests to redirect excessive traffic to a server or website.

Essentially, the attacker exploits a variety of HTTP requests to overwhelm the server, making it inaccessible to legitimate users. This is often done by exploiting vulnerabilities in web server configurations or utilizing botnets to send a large number of requests.

The term "Amplification" refers to how the attacker "amplifies" the traffic by sending small requests, which are then responded to by the server in much larger replies. This can cause the server to expend a significant amount of resources processing these requests, rendering it unreachable for legitimate users.

To protect against HTTP Amplification attacks, web servers can be configured to limit requests or implement filters to identify and block suspicious requests. Additionally, Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) and DDoS protection services can be employed to monitor traffic and mitigate attacks before they reach the server.

 


SYN Flood attack

A SYN Flood attack is a specific type of DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attack aimed at overwhelming the resources of a target computer, service, or network. The term "SYN" refers to the SYNchronization bit in TCP/IP communication, used for establishing a connection between a client and a server.

In a SYN Flood attack, the attacker sends a large number of SYN requests (Synchronization requests) to the target system but never completes the connection by sending the corresponding ACK responses (Acknowledgement) to the SYN-ACK packets (Synchronization-Acknowledgement) from the target system. The target system then waits for the final acknowledgment and reserves resources for these open connections. However, since the attacker doesn't send final acknowledgments, these connections remain open and consume resources on the target system. When enough open connections are generated, the resources of the target system are depleted, leading to a denial of service and making it inaccessible to legitimate users.

A SYN Flood attack exploits the way the TCP/IP protocol operates and is one of the most common techniques used in DDoS attacks. Countermeasures such as SYN cookies and SYN proxying can help mitigate the effects of SYN Flood attacks.

 


Distributed Denial of Service - DDoS

A DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attack is a type of cyber attack where a large number of computer resources are used to overwhelm a service, website, or network, rendering it inaccessible to legitimate users. In a DDoS attack, attackers simultaneously send requests from many different computers or devices to the target, depleting the target's resources and making it unreachable for legitimate users.

The term "distributed" refers to the fact that the requests come from a multitude of sources, making it more difficult to block the attack as it doesn't originate from a single source. Often, botnets are utilized to generate the requests. These botnets consist of many infected computers or devices under the control of the attacker.

DDoS attacks can cause significant damage by taking the affected services or websites offline, resulting in revenue loss, reputation damage, and other negative impacts. They pose a serious threat to businesses, governments, and other organizations reliant on online services.

 


Denial of Service - DoS

DoS stands for "Denial of Service" and refers to a type of cyberattack where an attacker attempts to render a service, resource, or infrastructure inaccessible or non-functional by disrupting or interrupting normal operation. The main goal of a DoS attack is to deny legitimate users access to a service or resource by impairing the availability of the service.

There are various types of DoS attacks, including:

  1. Volumetric Attacks: These attacks overwhelm the target with a large volume of traffic or requests to exhaust its resources and make it unreachable. An example of a volumetric DoS attack is a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack, where attackers use a multitude of compromised devices to simultaneously flood the target with traffic.

  2. Protocol Flood Attacks: These attacks exploit vulnerabilities in network protocols to overwhelm the target's resources. An example is a SYN Flood attack, where the attacker sends a large number of TCP SYN requests without responding to them, causing the target to exhaust resources processing these requests.

  3. Application Layer Attacks: These attacks target vulnerabilities in applications or services, attempting to crash or overload them by sending specially crafted requests or payloads. An example is an HTTP Flood attack, where the attacker sends a large number of HTTP requests to a website to exhaust its resources.

The impact of DoS attacks can be significant, including service outages, disruption of business operations, financial losses, and reputational damage. Organizations implement various measures to protect against DoS attacks, including the deployment of firewalls, Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems (IDS/IPS), load balancers, Content Delivery Networks (CDNs), and specialized DoS protection services.