What does a SWG do? What do companies need to know about this tool? And how can they make use of it?
What Does a SWG Do?
A secure web gateway or SWG does a lot of things related to cybersecurity. Firstly, it is a web application firewall (WAF). A WAF is a type of security control that protects web applications from common attacks.
Then, it is deployed at the web layer, not the transport layer, so it can see and analyze all traffic. It can recognize malicious traffic and stop it from entering the network. It also can recognize a wide variety of attacks and protect against them by blocking the traffic. So, this stops the attack from happening at all.
Moreover, the SWG acts as an early warning system for a company. It can detect attacks and get in front of them instead of waiting for them to happen. This gives companies more time to react to attacks. Then, improve their ability to defend against them and make sure that they are doing due diligence to stay secure against attacks.
Further, the SWG also works as a virtual patching solution. This means that it can scan for vulnerabilities in applications before they are attacked. Next, find out if an application is vulnerable. And then, apply a patch to fix the problem before an attack is launched against it. This means that companies don’t need to wait for an attack to occur before they can fix problems with their applications.
When used in conjunction with other security tools like firewalls or intrusion prevention systems (IPSs), SWGs can act as gateways into the corporate network. So they can protect it from outside threats while allowing access to authorized users who need access through those networks.
How Can SWGs Be Used?
SWGs can be used in four different ways, as a/an:
- WAF
- virtual patching solution
- access gateway for authorized users
- tool for collecting threat intelligence information about attackers and their tactics.
Let’s look at the first two of them in more detail.
Web Applications Firewall
As mentioned earlier, one of the primary roles that an SWG plays is being a WAF. A WAF offers protection from common web application attacks like:
- cross-site scripting (XSS),
- SQL injection
- and other classic application security vulnerabilities
Then, this protection includes proactive protection. This is by scanning websites for
- vulnerabilities,
- adding rules to block malicious traffic,
- identifying unauthorized access attempts,
- using vulnerability assessments
- and more.
SWG software typically includes some form of reputation-based blocking. So it can identify previously unknown threats by analyzing patterns of suspicious behavior across networks.
Virtual Patching Solution
A virtual patching solution is a tool that allows companies to find out if the web applications they use have security vulnerabilities. Then, apply patches to fix them so they are secure before an attack happens.
So, SWGs can be used as a virtual patching solution. This means they can scan applications for known vulnerabilities and then apply a patch if one is found. This protects companies from attacks before they happen.
As you can see, there are many uses for SWG. What are your thoughts?