Configuring Azure Web Application Firewall

Firewalls play a critical role in securing an environment, but not all firewalls are created equally. While traditional firewalls secure a perimeter, web-based applications require a content-aware solution beyond port and IP address blocking. Azure Web Application Firewall is a cloud-native service that protects web applications from new and well-known web-based attacks.

In this lesson, we review Azure Web Application Firewall. We examine different options for implementing the Web Application Firewall, including using it with Azure Application Gateway, Azure Front Door, and Azure Content Delivery Network. We create and apply rulesets, including Azure managed and user-managed custom rules. We also configure diagnostic logging options and review firewall logs from the Web Application Gateway.

Learning Objectives

• Configuring detection or prevention mode
• Implementing a WAF policy 
• Associating a WAF policy
• Configuring rule sets for Azure Front Door, including Microsoft-managed and user-defined
• Configuring rule sets for Application Gateway, including Microsoft-managed and user-defined

Intended Audience

• System administrators with responsibilities for managing web applications
• Security professionals responsible for securing Azure web applications
• Anyone preparing for the Azure AZ-700: Designing and Implementing Microsoft Azure Networking Solutions exam

Prerequisites

• A basic understanding of networking and security principles
• An Azure subscription (sign up for a free trial at https://azure.microsoft.com/free/ if you don’t have a subscription)