Difference Between Firewall and WAF: Full Explanation

In the world of cybersecurity, firewalls and Web Application Firewalls (WAF) are two important components used to protect systems from external threats. Although both have the same purpose, which is to protect, the way they work, their scope, and their level of protection are different. Here are the details about the differences between firewalls and WAFs:

1. Definition and Main Purpose

Firewall: A firewall is a network security system that controls incoming and outgoing traffic based on predetermined security rules. Its main purpose is to protect internal networks from external threats such as malware attacks, hackers, and other suspicious activities.

WAF: Web Application Firewall is a special firewall designed to protect web applications by monitoring and filtering HTTP/HTTPS traffic. WAF focuses on threats that target web applications, such as SQL injection attacks, cross-site scripting (XSS), or distributed denial of service (DDoS).

 

2. Operational Level

Firewall: Operates at the network layer or transport layer. Traditional firewalls filter data packets based on IP addresses, ports, or protocols.

WAF: Operates at the application layer, allowing WAF to analyze and filter specific content from web traffic.

 

3. Protection Focus

Firewall: Monitors the entire network in general. Firewalls protect the network infrastructure from external threats such as unauthorized access attempts or exploitation of network services.

WAF: Protection specific to web applications. WAFs monitor traffic patterns to detect threats that are specifically aimed at web applications, such as parameter manipulation.

 

4. Security Approaches

Firewall: Firewalls use rules based on IP addresses, protocols, and ports to block or allow access.

 

WAF: WAFs use attack patterns (signatures) and behavioral analysis to detect application-based threats. Some WAFs also use machine learning to detect unrecognized threats.

 

5. Types of Threats Addressed

Firewall:

• Network-based attacks, such as IP spoofing, port scanning, and flooding.
• Blocking traffic from specific IP addresses identified as suspicious.

 

WAF:

Attacks that target web application vulnerabilities, such as:

• Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)
• SQL Injection
• File Inclusion
• Broken Authentication

 

6. Implementation

Firewall: Firewalls are typically implemented on network equipment such as routers or dedicated hardware. Examples include hardware or software-based firewalls, such as Cisco ASA or Windows Defender Firewall.

 

WAF: WAF is typically implemented as a cloud-based service, dedicated hardware, or as a plugin within a specific web application. Examples of WAFs are AWS WAF, Cloudflare WAF, or ModSecurity.

 

7. Limitations

Firewall: Cannot detect or stop attacks that occur at the application level, because its focus is only on controlling network traffic.

WAF: Does not protect the entire network infrastructure; its function is limited to web application security only.

Conclusion :

Although firewalls and WAFs complement each other, they have different functions and scopes of protection. Firewalls are the first line of defense to protect the entire network, while WAFs are designed to provide deeper protection for web applications. In an ideal environment, the combination of the two can provide more comprehensive security for your organization.