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2024.06.07 IT/Web Technology

【SaaS】Alibaba Cloud WAF Features【Security】

In this post, we will outline the features and functions of “Alibaba Cloud WAF,” a WAF service provided by Alibaba Cloud.

* Information is current as of September 2021.

Table of Contents

1 Alibaba Cloud Security History
2 Alibaba Cloud WAF Service Overview
- 2.1 Key Features of Alibaba Cloud WAF
3 Alibaba Cloud WAF Features (by Edition)
4 Summary
- 4.1 Related Services

Alibaba Cloud Security History

Alibaba Cloud is dedicated to developing security products aimed at protecting its infrastructure from a wide range of external cyber attacks.

One of these products, Alibaba Cloud WAF (Web Application Firewall), is a security service built on over 10 years of security expertise. It is designed to defend against internet attacks and features an advanced defense mechanism that leverages big data capabilities.

Alibaba Cloud WAF Service Overview

Alibaba Cloud WAF can be implemented not only on Alibaba Cloud but also in on-premises environments, VPS (Virtual Private Servers), and infrastructure environments provided by other cloud platforms—simply by switching DNS.

As such, it is not restricted by the infrastructure environment in which it is deployed.

Key Features of Alibaba Cloud WAF

Category	Feature	Overview
Web Application Protection	Zero-day Attack Defense	Enables prompt risk mitigation by dynamically updating defense rules within 24 hours.。
	Website Protection	Protects sites from intruders by using DNS to reroute traffic.
	OWASP Attack Defense	Provides various defense policies and isolation features to accurately identify and block known attacks, such as SQL injection.
Site Access Control	Add HTTPS Functionality	Adds HTTPS capabilities to a site simply by uploading the private key file.
Site Access Control	Access Control	Identifies and blocks information-gathering activities required for intrusions through multi-layered protection.
High-Precision Traffic Analysis	Accurate Malicious Access Identification	Accurately identifies malicious access, such as bots, and performs an evaluation when blocking.
High-Precision Traffic Analysis	Custom Policies	Allows for the flexible modification and application of defense rules as needed.

Alibaba Cloud WAF Features (by Edition)

Alibaba Cloud WAF offers four editions to choose from, depending on processing capacity, defense capabilities, and specific use cases.

This allows for flexible scaling; for instance, you can start small with the Pro Edition and upgrade as your web traffic grows, adapting to your specific needs and situation.

Category	Overview	Pro Edition	Business Edition	Enterprise Edition	Exclusive Edition (submit tickets to purchase)
Peak Request Rate	–	2,000 QPS	5,000 QPS	10,000 + QPS	5,000 QPS
Maximum Bandwidth	If the origin server is deployed on Alibaba Cloud	50 Mbit / s	100 Mbit / s	200 Mbit / s	100 Mbit / s
Maximum Bandwidth	If the origin server is not deployed on Alibaba Cloud	10 Mbit / s	30 Mbit / s	50 Mbit / s	30 Mbit / s
Max Domains (Standard Support)	–	1	1	1	1,000
Max Subdomains (Standard Support)	Supports wildcard domains	10	10	10	1,000
HTTPS Protection	Implement with just a few clicks	〇	〇	〇	〇
HTTP/2 Protection	Protect websites using HTTP/2	×	〇	〇	〇
Non-standard Port Protection	Protect ports other than 80, 8080, 443, and 8443	×	〇	〇	〇
Intelligent Load Balancing	Multi-SLB connection, auto DR, low-latency routing	〇	〇	〇	〇
Dedicated IP Address	Provides dedicated IPs for specific domains	〇	〇	〇	〇
Dedicated Cluster	Protection from SQL injection and XSS attacks	×	×	×	〇
Protection Rule Engine	Protection against common web attacks	〇	〇	〇	〇
Web Zero-day Vulnerability Protection	Automatic rule updates	〇	〇	〇	〇
Custom Protection Rule Groups	Customization of protection rule groups	×	〇	〇	〇
Big Data Deep Learning Engine	Detects web zero-day vulnerabilities	×	〇	〇	〇
Whitelist Security Model	Proactive defense based on traffic learning	×	×	〇	〇
Website Anti-Defacement	Prevents tampering via web page locking	〇	〇	〇	〇
Data Leakage Prevention	Protection against leakage of personal information (IDs, phone numbers, etc.)	〇	〇	〇	〇
HTTP Flood Protection	Defense against attacks in preventive and emergency modes	〇	〇	〇	〇
Blacklist (IP / CIDR)	Blocks access from specific IPs/CIDRs	〇	〇	〇	〇
Scan Protection	Collaborative defense against web attacks and scanning tools	〇	〇	〇	〇
Scan Protection (Custom Rules)	Custom blocking of high-frequency attacks and path traversal	×	〇	〇	〇
Custom Protection Policies (Basic Fields)	ACL control based on IP, URL, Referer, User-Agent, and parameters	〇	〇	〇	〇
Custom Protection Policies (Detailed Fields)	ACL control based on Cookie, Content-Type, Header, and HTTP-Method	×	〇	〇	〇
Rate Limiting (IP / Session)	Customize HTTP flood protection rules with matching conditions	×	〇	〇	〇
Rate Limiting (IP / Session / Custom Fields)	More advanced rate limiting policies	×	×	〇	〇
Data Risk Management	Protects critical services such as registration, login, and forums	〇	〇	〇	〇
Allowed Crawler Whitelist	Grants access to authorized crawlers like Baidu, Bing, and Google	〇	〇	〇	〇
Bot Threat Intelligence	Provides intelligence on malicious crawlers, data center IPs, etc.	〇	〇	〇	〇
App Protection	Secure connections and bot prevention for native apps	〇	〇	〇	〇
Account Security	Protection against dictionary attacks, brute force, SMS flooding, etc.	〇	〇	〇	〇
WAF Log Service	Log collection/storage, real-time queries, and online reports	×	〇	〇	〇

Summary

Alibaba Cloud WAF is a SaaS-based WAF service.

It can be used on cloud platforms other than Alibaba Cloud and can also be deployed in on-premises environments, offering a high degree of versatility.