Protecting Web Applications with AWS WAF v2 against Malicious Traffic

OneData Software integrates AWS WAF v2 as a standard part of its security stack when building or migrating web applications. They use WAF to provide protection at the HTTP/HTTPS layer, shielding apps from exploitation, mitigating threats, and ensuring reliable, safe access for users.

Key Capabilities & Practices

1. Rule-Based Protection Against Common Web Threats o Set up WAF rules to defend against SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), request flooding / bots, path traversal, etc. o Use managed rule groups (AWS-provided) plus custom rule sets to match application-specific threat profiles.

2. Integration with Shield Advanced & DDoS Mitigation o In projects like Coolocare and ERPONE, WAF is paired with AWS Shield Advanced to defend against volumetric and sophisticated DDoS attacks. o Create layered defense: edge filtering (CloudFront + WAF), network protections, etc.

3. HTTPS / Secure Delivery Integration o WAF configured in front of ALBs / CloudFront distributions (depending on solution) to protect the web traffic. o Ensure secure certificate usage and HTTPS endpoints. (Because their other solutions use HTTPS via ACM in those case studies.)

4. Monitoring, Logging, and Rule Tuning o Enable WAF access / request logging to monitor traffic, detect potential threats, false positives. o Use CloudWatch or other observability tools to alert when unusual traffic patterns are observed. o Periodically review rule performance, disable or adjust rules causing unwanted blocking or latency.

5. Custom Rule Groups & Whitelisting / Blacklisting o For specific clients, OneData implements custom rules (IP block / allow, geo restrictions, path restrictions) to match business logic or regulatory needs. o Whitelisting trusted IPs or partners; blacklisting known malicious sources when appropriate.

6. High Availability & Resilience o WAF deployed in front of load balancers (ALBs) or CloudFront so that even if application instances have issues, WAF continues to filter traffic. o Combined with auto-scaling, health checks, etc., to maintain application uptime.

7. Compliance & Best Practices o Ensuring web application security meets relevant compliance / regulatory requirements (e.g. for privacy, data protection). o Using least privilege, logging, auditing, threat detection.

Use Cases (from Case Studies) • ERPONE: The ERP solution for a manufacturing client was protected by WAF & Shield Advanced. • Coolocare: Contact center provider’s website + Amazon Connect integration had WAF to block common web exploits, combined with HTTPS, CloudFront etc.

Benefits

• Reduced risk of application compromise or data leak from web attacks. • Improved trust from users / clients knowing that security protections are in place. • Better uptime and reliability because many types of automated or malicious traffic are filtered early. • Compliance with regulatory/security standards. • Fewer false positives / less manual mitigation work because WAF helps automate protection.