AWS WAF, according to AWS, is a web application firewall (WAF) that helps protect web applications from attacks by allowing you to configure rules that allow, block, or monitor (count) web requests based on conditions that you define, such as IP addresses, HTTP headers, HTTP body, URI strings, SQL injection, and cross-site scripting. While it is undoubtedly a powerful tool to establish security for your websites and web applications, it requires users to have a certain level of security expertise to utilize the service to its fullest potential.

When the user first adopts AWS WAF, the user is responsible for implementing the security rules¹ for AWS WAF. AWS WAF provides the user with options to either create their own rules or adopt managed rule groups².

Without the proper security rule configurations, AWS WAF cannot function or operate properly. Consequently, the users would have to have some level of understanding of how security rules work and what kind of security rules they need.

1. Security Rules : Statements that define the conditions on how to inspect the HTTP/HTTPS web traffic, or requests, made to the web applications. If the request matches the conditions, it is met with the rule action, such as Allow, Block, and Count, that is configured for the security rule.
2. Managed Rule Groups : A preset of security rules created by AWS and the Independent Software Vendors (ISV) for the users.

What are Cloudbric Managed Rules?

One such example of managed rule groups that the users can implement for AWS WAF is “Cloudbric Managed Rules.” Cloudbric Managed Rules (CMR) is a managed rule group product provided by Penta Security. 

CMR was created based on the security technologies and expertise of Penta Security’s WAF product, WAPPLES, which has protected web services for various organizations and enterprises since 2005. CMR utilizes Penta Security’s own Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI), Cloudbric Labs, to provide a safer online environment for AWS WAF users.

Penta Security is not only one of the seven ISVs worldwide that offers managed rule groups for AWS WAF but also the only ISV to enable the Web Application and API Protection (WAAP) model by integrating managed rule groups with AWS WAF. There are a total of 6 different CMR rule groups currently provided in AWS Marketplace, which are able to be implemented on the AWS WAF simply by subscribing to the product.

Cloudbric Managed Rules for AWS WAF Product List

OWASP Top 10 Rule Set
Provides security against threats from OWASP Top 10 Web Application Security Risks, such as SQL Injection and Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) utilizing the logic-based detection engine recognized by world-renowned research organizations such as Gartner and Frost & Sullivan.

API Protection
Provides security against the OWASP API Security Top 10 Risk by establishing a defense system against known API attacks and providing validation and protection for XML, JSON, and YAML data.

Anonymous IP Protection
Provides integrated security against Anonymous IPs originating from various sources including VPNs, Data Centers, DNS Proxies, Tor Networks, Relays, and P2P Networks, responding to threats such as geo-location frauds, DDoS, and license and copyright infringement.

Malicious IP Protection
Provides security against malicious IP traffic based on the Malicious IP Reputation list created using ThreatDB, which is collected and analyzed from 700,000 websites in 148 countries worldwide by Cloudbric Labs, Penta Security’s own Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI).

Bot Protection
Provides security against malicious bots, such as scrapers, scanners, and crawlers, which negatively impact and damage websites and web applications through repetitive behavior, based on the malicious bot patterns collected and analyzed by Penta Security.

Tor IP Protection
Provides security against Anonymous IP traffic, specifically originating from the Tor network, which can be difficult to detect using an ordinary IP Risk Index, utilizing the Tor IP list managed and updated by Cloudbric Labs.

CMR is continuously updated and managed by the security experts of Penta Security to respond to the latest security threats and maintain a stable security level, boosting the AWS WAF experience for the users.

CMR has also recently been validated to have the highest detection rate through a comparative test conducted by a 3rd party IT testing, validation, and analysis company, The Tolly Group.

[Comparative Test Results for OWASP Top 10 Rule Set]

[Comparative Test Results for API Protection]

Optimizing Cloudbric Managed Rules to your environment

Managed rule groups for AWS WAF are designed to provide the users with a basic setup for security and allow the users to add conditions, such as IPs, specific headers, or regions, by creating additional rules when a new threat is identified. This is known as the Blocklist method (also known as Blacklist method). Blocklist method is widely preferred for managed rule groups as it can reduce false positives, but ultimately, the users would have to continue to add more and more rules as they progress, only after the threat or attack has occurred. CMR also utilizes the Blocklist method, but to minimize the burden of adding the rules for the users, CMR provides managed rule groups with maximum security configurations. CMR is continuously updated with the most recent Cyber Threat Intelligence to respond to new threats and vulnerabilities. In doing so, CMR can detect and block more potential threats and attacks compared to any managed rule groups provided in AWS Marketplace, and if a false positive occurs, the users would simply need to override the rule that responded to the legitimate request, instead of having to create a new rule to respond to the new malicious request. Overriding a rule can simply be achieved by clicking a few buttons, and this method can provide more stable security.

To determine whether a request should be overridden or remain blocked, it is important to analyze your detection logs. Each rule within the managed rule group is defined with a rule action that responds to the request when it matches the condition of the rule. These rule actions include “Allow,” “Block,” and “Count.” Also, the users can adjust the priority of the rule, and the request will pass through the rules in the order of highest priority to the lowest.

If the rule action defined for the rule is Allow, the request will pass through the rule, even if the request matches the conditions defined in the statement of the rule. The request will also not be logged. Allowing a rule will have all the subsequent rules to allow the request as well, so if you want a certain rule to allow the request, it is recommended that the rule is configured to have the lowest priority, as it will minimize the effect it has on the other rules. If the rule action defined for the rule is Block, the request will not pass through the rule, if the request matches the conditions defined in the statement of the rule. The request will then be logged as having been blocked. If the rule action defined for the rule is Count, the request will pass through the rule without being blocked, even if the request matches the conditions defined in the statement of the rule. However, the request will be logged.

When you decide to change the default rule actions defined for the rules, it is recommended that the rule action for the rule is first changed to Count to evaluate the impact. You must analyze your detection logs carefully while keeping your rule action to Count before deciding whether to override the rule. It is also a good idea to run your rules while having the rule action as Count when you are creating your own security rules.

From time to time, CMR will be updated with a newer version. When it is updated with a newer version, you will be notified by AWS Marketplace, and you will be given the option to update the managed rule groups to a newer version or to use the previous version. When a new version of the managed rule group is updated, the updates to the managed rule group will not be automatically applied to the product you are currently subscribed to, as updating to a newer version of managed rule groups may cause the configurations you made to the rules to revert to default state. If you wish to use the newer version of the managed rule group, you can access the AWS WAF management console to change the version of the managed rule group.

AWS WAF Management service, “Cloudbric WMS.”

While CMR was developed to facilitate the process of implementing security rules for AWS WAF, it can still be challenging if you do not have in-house personnel with security expertise. It can be quite unclear as to what threats you must watch out for or which origin IP must be blocked. Analyzing and optimizing the security rules can also be quite difficult if you do not fully understand your infrastructure and environment.

Cloudbric WMS for AWS WAF

Cloudbric WMS for AWS WAF is a management service developed by Penta Security for AWS WAF users. When Cloudbric WMS is adopted, the security experts of Penta Security analyze your infrastructure and environment to adjust the conditions of the statement and optimize the rules for you. After the optimization of the security rules is completed, you are given access to Cloudbric WMS console, which provides you with an overview of your environment and security status. Cloudbric WMS enables the users to add countries or origin IPs to block through an easy-to-use GUI and provides detailed reports with all the information you need to reinforce your security.

Cloudbric WMS also offers customer support in English, Japanese, and Korean, to respond to any issues or inquiries you may have in operating your WAF.

Penta Security is an official launch partner for AWS WAF Ready, a provider partner of AWS Activate, and an AWS Public Sector Partner. 

All Cloudbric Products provided in AWS Marketplace have been validated by AWS through the Foundational Technical Review.

For more information on Cloudbric WMS, please visit: 👉Cloudbric 

You may also refer to the “Cloudbric Managed Rules for AWS WAF Setting Guide” for more details on how to subscribe, implement, and optimize CMR for your AWS WAF.

Do you want to surf the internet anonymously and protect your data and identity at all times? If yes, you need a VPN service that provides end-to-end encryption and anonymous usage. In this article, we will understand what a VPN is, how Cloudbric protects your privacy, and why you should use Cloudbric VPN.

What is a VPN?

A virtual private network, which is often referred to as a VPN, is a network connection where you use an encrypted connection to connect to the public internet. This encrypted connection protects your IP addresses from being tracked on websites and safeguards your data during transit. Moreover, VPNs also help you protect from hackers as the encrypted connections cannot be intruded easily. 

Cloudbric VPN

If you are in the market to find the best VPN that lets you browse the internet without any tracking or data collection, you need the Cloudbric VPN for your devices. We offer personalized applications for different web and mobile operating systems to ensure the best user experience when you use our VPN service. 

Cloudbric VPN is created by encryption experts who have built highly secure services for customers in the past. We leverage our expertise from Penta Security and encryption experts to create VPN systems that are safe for usage and provide complete anonymity to our users. You can download our apps from Google Play or the Apple App Store to start today. 

Cloudbric VPN Product Page: https://www.cloudbric.com/cloudbric-vpn

Store link

– google play

– apple app store

Before we explore the features of Cloudbric VPN, let’s look at who should use a VPN.

Who Should Use A VPN?

Privacy-Conscious Users

VPNs help you protect your data and keep your internet activity private. If you are privacy-conscious or you live in places with heavy surveillance, it is better to use a VPN service. 

Remote Workers

Remote workers work from different places, and this can quickly become a remote work challenge when accessing the internal networks of a company. Hence, it is always a better choice to use a VPN when accessing sensitive corporate data while working remotely. 

Frequent Travelers

If you are traveling regularly, you may access public Wi-Fi networks at airports or train stations. Such public networks are very easy targets for hackers, and if you connect them without a VPN, your device may get compromised. So, if you are a frequent traveler, always use a VPN. 

Users from Censored Regions

Governments across the world censor many websites and restrict access for general users. If you live in any such censored regions, it makes sense to use VPN services so you can access censored websites and surf the internet freely. 

People Avoiding Bandwidth Throttling

Many internet service providers can block or throttle internet usage based on IP addresses. When you want to have unthrottled internet usage and bypass ISP throttling limits, you should use VPNs.

People Sharing Networks Or Devices

If you share your devices or networks with multiple people but still want to keep your internet footprint anonymous, you can rely on a VPN service. This way, your activity on the device or network will remain private. 

Knowing who should use a VPN, you should also know how Cloudbric VPN protects your privacy.

How Cloudbric VPN Protects Your Privacy and Data on Public Wi-Fi

Using public Wi-Fi is always a risky thing, but if you have a Cloudbric VPN connection, you are safe. Let’s understand how we protect your privacy and data on such networks. 

Encrypted Internet Traffic

Cloudbric VPN relies on the latest encryption technologies and uses them to encrypt internet traffic that goes from your devices to the internet. This is an important feature that protects your traffic even if your network gets compromised anyhow. 

Masks IP Address

Our VPN service will route your internet traffic through various internal servers and hide your real IP so no one can trace the request back to you. We also keep your IP address safe when forwarding responses back to your original device.

Enhances Security On Unsecured Networks

If you are on an unsecured network, we take all necessary steps to keep your data secured. We create a secure tunnel for your data and connections so that your security is never compromised. 

Safeguards Data

Through our strong encryption and data security standards, we safeguard your data. Our VPNs will help you safely log in to websites and access restricted content and financial data.

As you know, we protect your data and privacy, so let’s seal the deal by looking at more reasons why you should choose Cloudbric VPN service for your Android and iOS devices. 

Why choose Cloudbric VPN?

While there are many more VPN service providers in the world, there are a few that match our standards. With so many choices, it often confuses customers, but don’t worry. In this section, we will explore why you should choose Cloudbric VPN. 

Easy to use

Cloudbric VPN apps are designed with a customer-centric mindset. This ensures that our apps are easy to use forever. Using our apps, with just a single click, you can access the internet securely by connecting through our VPN servers. We always encrypt all your online activity with just one click. 

Strict privacy protection

Having strict privacy protection is a must for VPNs. We have a no-logs policy, which is enforced strictly. Through this policy, we ensure that no user information is logged, collected, or shared with anyone. No matter what your internet traffic is, it is always protected because of our strict security stance. To make things much more secure, we also use a private DNS service so that your DNS queries never go to public DNS providers. 

Fast speed with high-performance protocol

Many VPN service providers provide very little speed to customers, but we don’t do that. We believe in giving our consumers the best speed so that they don’t feel they are accessing the internet through an intermediary service. Our blazing-fast WireGuard protocol provides a secure and fast internet connection to all connected users with minimal latency. Moreover, our connection protocols are highly available, and there’s little downtime to ensure you are always safe. 

Advanced security technology

At Cloudbric VPN, everything we do is aimed at increasing the security technology for our services. We focus on security and providing the safest online experience to our customers across the globe. We are utilizing the expertise of our specialists to research new security protocols and approaches to make the internet safer for everyone. 

Reasonable price

We believe in providing quality products at a reasonable price to reach more customers and make internet browsing safer for everyone. If you are in the market for a safe yet affordable VPN provider, download our apps and subscribe to Cloudbric VPN services today. 

Before we come to an end, let’s look at some common misconceptions about VPN usage.

Common Misconceptions about VPNs

Free VPN is as Good as a Paid One

Many people think that all VPNs are the same, and there is no need to get a paid VPN service. But this is quite wrong. A free VPN will lack encryption and privacy, moreover it may log user data which can be used to trace requests back to you. 

VPNs Slow Down Internet Speeds Drastically

Yes, VPNs slow down internet speeds, but they don’t make a big difference. If you use a paid VPN service like Cloudbric provides highly optimized servers for customers, so there is a minimal speed reduction.

Conclusion

In today’s interconnected world, protecting your online privacy and data is essential, especially on public Wi-Fi networks. Cloudbric VPN offers a reliable, secure, and user-friendly solution to safeguard your internet activity. With advanced encryption, IP masking, and a no-logs policy, Cloudbric VPN ensures your data remains private and inaccessible to hackers or surveillance. 

Unlike free VPNs, Cloudbric VPN delivers unmatched protection without compromising speed or performance. Whether you’re browsing, accessing sensitive corporate data, or bypassing geo-restrictions, Cloudbric VPN empowers you to surf the web securely and anonymously. 

In the rapidly evolving digital landscape driven by the rise of digital transformation (DX), companies are increasingly shifting their business and operations to be more software-centric. This shift has brought application development to the forefront, making robust cybersecurity—especially web security—a critical requirement. At the core of web security, IP-based rules have long been a foundational method for controlling access and mitigating threats. However, as cyber threats grow in complexity, traditional IP-based rules face significant limitations. Cloudbric Managed Rules (CMR) offers an advanced solution to overcome these challenges and provide comprehensive protection, including support for X-Forwarded-For (XFF) header validation.

What Are IP-Based Rules? 

IP-based rules are a foundational security mechanism that allows or blocks access based on IP addresses. These rules are widely used in network and web security systems for the following purposes:

• • Regulatory Compliance: Certain industries require restricted access to ensure regulatory adherence by permitting only specified IP ranges.
  • Threat Protection: Proactively block malicious IP addresses, such as those used by hackers or bots.

Key Use Cases for IP-Based Rules 

Network Load Management

IP-based rules can help mitigate server overload caused by distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks by proactively blocking suspicious IPs.

Geo-Restricted Services

Organizations can control service accessibility by allowing only specific IP ranges based on geographic regions, addressing regional licensing or compliance requirements.

Integration with Web Application Firewalls (WAFs)

Modern WAFs incorporate databases of known threat IPs to automatically block malicious traffic, creating a secure environment.

The Limitations of IP-Based Rules and How Cloudbric Managed Rules Address Them

Limitations of Traditional IP-Based Rules

IP-based rules are a widely used method for managing web application traffic, offering simplicity and efficiency. However, they come with several limitations that reduce their effectiveness in modern, complex environments:

1. Source IP Dependency
   Traditional IP-based rules rely heavily on the source IP address of incoming traffic. This dependency poses challenges when proxies, load balancers, or VPNs are involved, as these intermediaries mask or spoof the origin IP. This masking reduces the accuracy of malicious IP detection.
2. Resource Intensiveness
   Processing a high volume of requests, especially in environments with frequent malicious traffic, can strain system resources such as CPU and memory, impacting overall performance.

How Cloudbric Managed Rules Overcome These Challenges

Traditional IP-based methods detect malicious activity by comparing the source IP of an incoming request against a database of known threat IPs. While effective in straightforward cases, this approach struggles with the limitations mentioned above.

Cloudbric Managed Rules enhance this process by performing additional inspections of X-Forwarded-For (XFF) headers, a common HTTP header that reveals the original client IP address when proxies or load balancers are used. By analyzing the XFF header, Cloudbric can accurately identify the true origin IP and cross-check it against Penta Security’s proprietary database, ThreatDB.

ThreatDB provides a robust, dynamic repository of known malicious IPs, offering higher accuracy and fewer false positives than traditional static databases.

Overcoming These Challenges with Cloudbric Managed Rules

Cloudbric Managed Rules is a next-generation security solution designed to address the limitations of traditional IP-based rules by offering the following features:

Enhanced Accuracy with Flexible IP Detection

Traditional IP-based detection often faces challenges in identifying the true source of traffic, especially in environments involving proxies, VPNs, or other intermediaries. Cloudbric Managed Rules enhances detection by leveraging sophisticated methodologies that account for these complexities.Unlike the default approach of other managed rule groups, which may lack the ability to fully validate traffic originating from such masked sources, Cloudbric’s solution provides a broader perspective, ensuring more comprehensive threat detection.

Key Offerings

1. Malicious IP Protection
   • Blocks malicious IP traffic based on ThreatDB’s globally curated threat intelligence.
   • Prevents attacks from malicious bots, hackers, and phishing attempts.
2. Anonymous IP Protection
   • Detects and mitigates threats from anonymous IP sources, such as VPNs, proxies, and Tor networks.
   • Prevents DDoS attacks and unauthorized content usage.

Conclusion

Cloudbric Managed Rules provides a comprehensive solution for modern web security challenges. By combining advanced IP detection with continuous threat intelligence and a robust detection engine, it empowers organizations to:

• Protect networks and applications from malicious and anonymous IPs.
• Maintain operational stability.
• Meet regulatory compliance requirements.

For more information, explore the AWS Marketplace Penta Security Official Page.