Information & Communications Technology // Endpoint Security
The global web
application firewall market is foreseen to grow by 16.1%, from USD 7.26 Billion
in 2022 to USD 23.97 Billion in 2030. Increasing importance of web applications,
rising instances of web attacks, such as cyber theft, espionage, vandalism, and
fraud, government regulations and need for compliance to drive adoption of WAF
solutions is to drive the market for the upcoming forecast period. However, Insufficient
protection, false positives, and high cost of deployment, organizations
considering runtime application self-protection as viable alternative remains
one factor hindering the market growth over the anticipated period.
The Importance of Web Application Firewalls:
Web application firewalls are a crucial component of a robust cybersecurity strategy. They provide an additional layer of protection to web applications, which are often vulnerable to attacks due to their complex and dynamic nature. A web application firewall is capable of identifying and blocking malicious traffic that is trying to exploit the web application's vulnerabilities. By doing so, it can prevent data breaches, theft of sensitive information, and other forms of cyber attacks.
Web application
firewalls have a significant impact on the protection of web applications. They
are designed to block common attack vectors such as cross-site scripting, SQL
injection, and other types of exploits that are used by cybercriminals to
target web applications. A web application firewall monitors the traffic that
is being sent to the web application and analyzes it for any suspicious
activity. If it detects any malicious traffic, it blocks it and prevents the
attack from succeeding.
In addition to
preventing attacks, web application firewalls also provide real-time visibility
into the security of web applications. They generate reports that provide
information on the types of attacks that were attempted, the source of the
attacks, and the actions taken by the firewall to block them. This information
can be used by security teams to identify vulnerabilities and to improve the
security of the web application.
Conclusion:
Web application
firewalls are a critical component of any cybersecurity strategy. They provide
an additional layer of protection to web applications, which are often vulnerable
to attacks due to their complex and dynamic nature. By identifying and blocking
malicious traffic, web application firewalls can prevent data breaches, theft
of sensitive information, and other forms of cyber attacks. They also provide
real-time visibility into the security of web applications, which can be used
by security teams to identify vulnerabilities and to improve the security of
the web application.
Web application
firewall (WAF) market is driven by the increasing penetration of IoT
technologies across various end-user applications. The rise in awareness and
the need to protect network and web application infrastructure has led to a
growing number of connected devices, including TVs, mobile devices, and
printers. With an increase in the number of connected devices and associated
applications, the threat landscape is growing with various cyberattacks and
security vulnerabilities. Therefore, most IoT technology and developer
companies are recommending advanced security solutions, such as WAFs,
Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW), and Runtime Application Self-Protection
(RASP), to secure their business infrastructure, thereby driving the demand for
the WAF market.
However, the
increasing popularity and adoption of integrated RASP solutions across
organizations are expected to restrain the growth of the web application
firewall market. RASP solutions are software that integrates with the
application to determine if something is attacking it by keeping track of calls
made to the application and identifying them as threats or not. RASP instantly
takes action and handles threats before they become a problem for the
application. For instance, RASP can terminate a call and prevent the user that
initiated it from logging back in or it could ban the IP address that they’re
using. RASP solutions eliminate vulnerabilities and protect from unknown
zero-day attacks automatically and efficiently. They’re helpful even for legacy
applications with a minimum level of application security and offer a proactive
solution in the production environment.
As more and
more organizations move their businesses to the cloud and virtual
infrastructure, cybercriminals have started targeting web applications and
websites, resulting in a high rate of security breaches and cyberattacks.
Therefore, there is a growing need for web application firewalls (WAFs).
Cloud-based WAFs are offered as a SaaS structure where the WAF is entirely
located in the cloud and managed by the service provider, making it easier for
organizations with limited IT resources to deploy and maintain a WAF. With the
adoption of cloud for running business applications and saving private data,
virtual appliance-based WAFs have also become popular. These WAFs are hosted on
virtual machines and can be installed and run on existing hardware.
One of the
recent developments in the Web Application Firewall market is the increasing
adoption of cloud-based and virtual appliance-based WAFs. With the growing
adoption of cloud and virtual infrastructures by organizations, cybercriminals
are targeting web applications and websites, resulting in an increased need for
WAFs. Cloud-based WAFs are offered as a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) structure,
which makes it easy for organizations to deploy and maintain a web application
firewall, especially for those with limited IT resources.
Another
development in the Web Application Firewall market is the increasing use of Artificial
Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) for better threat detection and
prevention. AI and ML technologies can help identify and respond to threats
more efficiently and effectively, reducing the need for manual intervention.
Furthermore,
the adoption of microservices and APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) is
driving the demand for WAFs that can handle the complex network architecture
and security requirements of these modern applications.
However, the
presence of traditional firewalls remains a challenge for the Web Application
Firewall market. Many organizations still rely on traditional firewalls that
lack advanced features, such as deep packet inspection and application-layer
filtering, which are necessary to detect potential threats and advanced
persistent threats (APTs).
Overall, the
Web Application Firewall market is expected to continue growing, driven by the
increasing demand for cloud-based and virtual WAFs, AI and ML-based security,
and the adoption of microservices and APIs.
The traditional
firewall, also known as the first-generation firewall, provides basic
functionalities such as traffic control, packet filtering, application control,
monitoring, and URL blocking. However, they lack features such as Deep Packet
Inspection (DPI) technologies and application-layer filtering, making them
unable to detect potential threats and advanced persistent threats (APTs).
Despite the evolution of firewalls and the sophistication of the threat
landscape due to the adoption of advanced technologies such as cloud computing,
virtualization, and mobility, about 2 out of 5 organizations still rely on
traditional firewalls for securing their network and application processes.
This poses a challenge as organizations need to move towards more advanced and
effective WAFs to secure their web applications and websites.
The web
application firewall market is expected to experience significant growth during
the forecast period. The BFSI vertical is anticipated to grow at a higher CAGR
due to the introduction of new financial products and services, making the
industry an attractive target for frauds. Organizations in the BFSI vertical
need security products and services to protect their assets, employees,
customers, and operations. With the increase in the usage of mobile and
internet banking, web application firewall security solutions have become a
necessity to safeguard against attacks such as SQL injection, cross-site
scripting, botnets, and DDoS.
In terms of
regions, North America is expected to hold the largest market share due to the
presence of a large number of security vendors and security breach incidents.
The region is known for its advanced cybersecurity technology adoption and
infrastructure. As the world becomes more connected, the need to protect
network infrastructure is becoming a critical economic and security challenge.
With the growing concern of protecting financial and sensitive data, government
intervention has increased in recent years. With the increasing number of
connected devices, new forms of cyber attacks are emerging, which can lead to
disruptions in internet activities and online transactions.
The North
American web application firewall market includes countries such as the US and
Canada. Industry players, including Barracuda, Fortinet, Sophos, F5 Networks,
and Akamai, offer web application firewall solutions and services in North
America. The growing IoT trend and increasing internal and external threats are
key factors expected to drive the growth of the web application firewall market
in North America. In 2022, North America is expected to contribute 38.7% to the
global web application firewall market. The region is expected to continue to
dominate the market due to its advanced security infrastructure and high level
of cybersecurity technology adoption.
The Web
Application Firewall (WAF) market has been witnessing significant growth in
recent years, driven by increasing concerns over web application security and
the rise in cyber attacks. A WAF is a type of firewall that provides security
for web applications by filtering and monitoring HTTP traffic between a web
application and the internet.
For the purpose
of this report, the global Web Application Firewall market segmented on the
basis of product type, organization size, vertical type, and region:
On the basis of
product type, the market is segmented into solutions, services. Further, solutions
is segmented into hardware appliances, virtual appliances, cloud-based. Further,
services is segmented into managed services, professional services.
On the basis of
organization size, the market is segmented into large enterprises, and small
& medium sized enterprises.
On the basis of
vertical type, the market is segmented into banking, financial services &
insurance, retail, it & telecommunications, government & defense,
healthcare, energy & utilities, education, other verticals.