Web Security – Protect Data, Users and Businesses From Attacks That Exploit the Web

The internet has become a critical business channel that requires advanced web security strategies to protect data, users and businesses from cyber threats that exploit the Web. Web security encompasses a broad range of processes, technologies and methods that protect servers, web applications and the underlying internet network from attack. Without effective web security, companies risk malware infections, productivity loss and even data theft and extortion.

Malware attacks exploit vulnerabilities in the browser or client-side scripting to gain access to a device, system or network. Typical attacks include SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS) and remote file inclusion, where hacker code references a function in the application to upload and execute malicious files. Other common attacks include phishing, session hijacking and social engineering.

Effective web security prevents these attacks from gaining a foothold in the network by blocking users from browsing to malicious sites and preventing malware and data theft on the Web. A comprehensive solution includes a secure Web gateway, which acts as a proxy between the network and the users’ browsers, and advanced threat protection to stop malware and other advanced attacks from reaching web applications.

Web security solutions also inspect traffic at the application layer to provide granular visibility into web applications and the data they’re handling. This allows administrators to define rules that control who can access applications and sensitive data both inside and outside the organization.

A good web security solution will include a suite of products that combine web filtering, content inspection, antivirus, zero-day anti-malware, SSL inspection and data loss prevention for a complete internet security platform available on-premises or as a cloud service. The right mix of solutions can help enterprises spend more time taking advantage of the benefits of the internet and less time worrying about security issues.

In a world where the proliferation of mobile devices and cloud services has expanded the attack surface, it’s important to have web security that can keep pace with the latest threats. Whether your team is working remotely or on the go, they need the protections of an integrated suite of web security solutions.

Integrated suites of web security offer the best combination of performance and affordability today. These solutions can be delivered on-premises, as a cloud service or through a hybrid model that combines on-premises appliances with a secure web gateway and a firewall/intrusion prevention system (IPS). Combined, these platforms can provide a single point of defense that stops malware infection, policy violations, data leakage and other security issues across the entire attack surface. The right web security solution will also have access to the latest vulnerability databases, suspicious URL patterns, bots, heuristic detection engines and other tools that are necessary for complete coverage of the modern threat landscape.