What I’ve Learned-My Top AWS WAF Tips for Stronger Protection

Transcript

1. What I’ve Learned: My Top AWS WAF Tips for Stronger Protection Sena Yakut, 2025
2. About Me! All links about me Sena Yakut Cloud Security Architect @CyberWhiz
3. Importance of AWS WAF • Protects against SQL injection, XSS, DDoS, and bots. • Customizable rules for specific needs. • Scales automatically for traffic changes. • Real-time traffic monitoring and insights. • Enables bot control for blocking bad bots. • Cost-effective, pay-as-you-go pricing. • Helps meet compliance standards (e.g., GDPR, PCI-DSS). • Proactive defense with managed rule updates.
4. Application Load Balancer AWS AppSync GraphQL API Amazon CloudFront distributions Amazon Cognito user pool AWS App Runner service AWS Verified Access instance AWS WAF Supported Services
5. AWS WAF Console adds new Top Insights Visualizations
6. Securing PartyRock: How we protect Amazon Bedrock endpoints using AWS WAF https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/networking-and-content-delivery/securing-partyrock-how-we-protect-amazon-bedrock-endpoints-using-aws-waf/
7. Define Your External Scope: Protect All External Endpoints • Secure all external endpoints. • Common mistake: leaving endpoints unprotected. • Apply AWS WAF to every external endpoint? • Automate detection of new public endpoints (e.g., ELBs). • Set up alerts for newly created endpoints. • Maintain seamless protection as your setup grows.
8. Define Your External Scope: Protect All External Endpoints • With AWS Config OR • AWS Lambda + Amazon EventBridge + Amazon S3 → Daily schedule, compare daily
9. Split Web ACLs Based on Your Needs and Goals • Split Web ACLs by traffic or application type. • Avoid putting all rules in one ACL. • Use separate ACLs for standard traffic and APIs. • Easier to manage and adjust rules. • More flexibility and better control. → Use a dedicated Web ACL for admin portals with customized IP allowlists or geolocation restrictions.
10. Test, Test, Test! Validate AWS WAF Web ACL Rules Before Production • Test Web ACL rules before production deployment. • Ensure rules don’t block legitimate traffic. • Simulate real-world traffic, including edge cases. • Use count mode to track rule impact without blocking. • Identify and fine-tune rules before enforcing them.
11. Store Your Logs for AWS WAF Traffic • Always enable and store AWS WAF traffic logs. • Logs provide insights into requests, threats, and traffic patterns. • Store logs in a separate AWS account for better security and compliance. • Set specific log retention policies to match organizational needs. • Use Amazon S3 for storage or analyze logs with CloudWatch and Athena. • Maintain visibility into web app security while optimizing costs.
12. Store Your Logs for AWS WAF Traffic Query Examples
13. Analyze and Monitor After Enabling WAF • Continuously analyze and monitor AWS WAF traffic. • Watch for abuse activities, like attacks from EC2 instances. • Regularly review logs and alerts to detect malicious patterns. • Take immediate action if abuse is detected. • Report abuse to cloud providers or companies for resolution.
14. Analyze and Monitor After Enabling WAF https://support.aws.amazon.com/#/contacts/report-abuse
15. Get Alerts and Stay Notified — Better to Have Too Many Than None at All • Set up alerts for WAF events and activities to ensure strong security. • Stay informed about threats and unusual traffic patterns for timely responses. • Use AWS CloudWatch to create alarms for metrics like blocked request spikes. • Integrate with AWS SNS, AWS ChatBot, and Systems Manager Incident Manager for real-time notifications.
16. Utilize Rate Limiting • Implement rate limiting to protect against abusive traffic and DDoS attacks. • Use AWS WAF rate-based rules to limit requests per IP within a set timeframe. • Prevent single users from overwhelming your application. • Monitor rate-limiting metrics regularly to adjust thresholds. • Adapt thresholds to match your application's traffic patterns. • Enhance resilience while ensuring a good experience for legitimate users.
17. Regularly Review and Update Rules • Regularly review and update AWS WAF rules to maintain strong security. • Threat landscapes evolve; update rules to address new vulnerabilities. • Schedule periodic evaluations of your existing rules. • Analyze logs for patterns indicating the need for adjustments or new rules. • Adapt rules to emerging attack vectors and technologies. • Keep rules current to strengthen defenses and stay ahead of attackers.
18. Use AWS WAF Bot Control • Use AWS WAF Bot Control to detect and mitigate unwanted bot traffic. • Identify automated traffic patterns and block or challenge bad bots. • Allow good bots, like search engine crawlers, to access your application. • Regularly review Bot Control insights to adapt to evolving bot behaviors. • Maintain application performance by preventing malicious automated activities. • Enhance security while keeping legitimate traffic unaffected.
19. Thank you!