Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) are essential for protecting web applications from attacks. By integrating threat intelligence feeds, you can block known malicious actors before they even attempt an attack, significantly reducing your attack surface.
What is WAF Threat Intelligence Integration?
WAF integration combines traditional application-layer protection with external threat intelligence data. Instead of only detecting attacks in progress, your WAF can preemptively block traffic from IPs known for malicious activity.
This proactive approach reduces server load, decreases false positives from signature-based detection, and provides defense against emerging threats before they target your specific applications.
Benefits of Integration
Combining WAF protection with threat intelligence provides multiple advantages:
Proactive Defense
Block known attack sources before they can probe for vulnerabilities or launch attacks.
Reduced Load
Filter malicious traffic at the edge, reducing processing overhead on your WAF and application servers.
Better Accuracy
Combine reputation data with WAF signatures for more accurate threat detection and fewer false positives.
Faster Response
Automatically block newly identified threats without waiting for WAF rule updates.
Supported WAF Platforms
Threat intelligence integrates with popular WAF solutions:
- AWS WAF - Use IP sets updated via Lambda functions for automatic threat feed integration.
- Cloudflare - Firewall rules and IP lists can be managed via API for real-time updates.
- ModSecurity - Load IP blocklists directly or integrate with custom LUA scripts for advanced logic.
- Nginx/HAProxy - Configure IP-based access control using downloaded threat intelligence feeds.
Integration Best Practices
Start with high-confidence threat feeds to avoid false positives. Monitor blocked traffic to ensure legitimate users aren't affected, and implement whitelisting for trusted partners and known good IPs.
Automate feed updates using cron jobs or serverless functions to ensure your WAF always has current threat data. Log blocked requests for analysis and to identify attack patterns targeting your infrastructure.
Start Protecting Your WAF
Access our API documentation to integrate threat intelligence with your WAF.