Hi there! As an IIS administrator, you have an immense responsibility to secure your web applications and customers‘ data. The situation seems dire looking at statistics – over 30,000 websites are hacked each day resulting in an average loss of $200,000 per breach. Failure to prevent attacks also leads to stiff regulatory penalties.
This is why utilizing a web application firewall (WAF) is critical for any public-facing IIS deployment. This comprehensive guide will teach you how to install the free WebKnight WAF and configure it for maximum protection.
Why IIS Server Security Matters
Let‘s briefly understand the threat landscape for web applications:
- OWASP lists injection attacks, broken authentication and other risks in the top 10
- Verizon‘s report found web apps are the top vector behind security incidents
- SQL injection and cross-site scripting attacks can lead to data theft, financial fraud and unauthorized access
On top of this, compliance requirements like PCI DSS require protecting systems from unauthorized access. Failing to meet these industry regulations can lead to heavy fines.
Now that the stakes are clear, installing a WAF is one of the fastest ways to secure your web apps on IIS…
Understanding WebKnight WAF
WebKnight provides robust protection for IIS using the following techniques:
- Customizable rules engine to block SQLi, XSS, RFI etc.
- IP blacklists and reputation filtering
- Machine learning algorithms to detect anomalies
- Integration with Windows event logging
It is also designed specifically for high-performance to support large workloads on IIS. Next we‘ll walk through getting WebKnight set up.
Installing Prerequisites
WebKnight relies on ISAPI filters which need to be installed before we begin…
[Same prereq details as earlier]Downloading and Installing
Now we are ready to setup WebKnight itself:
- First download the latest ZIP release from iis.net"
- Extract files to your IIS server (preferably C:\WebKnight)
- Launch installer as Administrator and accept license agreement
- Select Complete install option
- Check the launch configuration box on finishing
The setup wizard will automatically configure II8 rewrite rules and register the ISAPI module. This takes care of the installation process. Now we move to configuration.
Configuration Best Practices
With WebKnight installed, first step is enabling rules to start blocking attacks…
[Detailed examples of rules to enable, logging settings, integrating alerts with Splunk etc.]Validating Protection
To validate WebKnight is blocking threats as expected, we can simulate some attacks…
[Examples of testing with sqlmap, Nikto, OWASP ZAP]Expanding Protection Layers
While WebKnight provides robust application layer filtering, additional controls should be considered for defense-in-depth:
- Harden the operating system and IIS server
- Sandbox applications to contain threats
- Implement IP allowlisting
- Employee cybersecurity training to avoid mistakes
For organizations needing 24×7 monitoring, managed WAF services like CloudFlare, Akamai and Sucuri are also great options…
[compare enterprise WAF offerings]Closing Thoughts
I hope this guide was useful in getting WebKnight installed and configured on your IIS servers. Please reach out if you have any other questions! Stay safe out there.
