ECA-5555: Enabling AI-Powered Web Application Firewall - Lanner Electronics | Network Appliance | uCPE SD-WAN| MEC Server | Intelligent Edge Appliance

Introduction

Web services-based applications have an important presence in public and private organizations. Vulnerabilities stemmed from these types of applications may give rise to unforeseen risks to the business model of these organizations. These applications have the inherent risk of being used by organizations in such a way that their activity is affected, resulting in becoming the main entry point for attackers, leading to security breaches.

Challenges

A customer came to Lanner looking for a platform on which AI-WAF, short for Artificial Intelligence Web Application Firewall, could be set up and deployed. This is a security solution designed to protect web applications from cyber threats such as malicious attacks, network vulnerabilities and data breaches. Unlike traditional firewalls that focus on network-level protection, AI-WAF specifically targets web applications and delivers a more granular and specialized level of defense.

Requirements

This intended AI-WAF must fulfill the following criteria.

• It will leverage advanced machine learning algorithms and artificial intelligence techniques to analyze incoming web traffic, identify potential threats, and take proactive measures to mitigate them.
• It should operate at the application layer of the network stack, allowing it to inspect and analyze the content and behavior of web requests and responses in real-time.
• It should provide an intelligent and proactive defense mechanism for web applications, safeguarding them against a wide range of cyber threats.

Lanner Solution

Equipped with the Intel Xeon 6 SoC, compact chassis and front I/O design, Lanner’s ECA-5555 delivers up to 3.2x AI performance per core gain compared to the previous-generation platform. It also features integrated Intel Advanced Matrix Extensions (Intel AMX) and Intel Advanced Vector Extensions (Intel AVX) acceleration for AI workloads; this 1U edge server appliance is engineered for high-performance network and AI workloads in telecom edge environments.

With Xeon® 6 SoC’s core scalability, integrated AI acceleration, and high-speed networking, the ECA-5555 delivers exceptional processing power at the edge. Dual M.2 slots for NVMe storage and secure BMC remote management enhance expandability, reliability, and streamlined maintenance.

Benefits

Running the aforementioned AI-WAF using Lanner’s ECA-5555 delivers various benefits.

1. Pattern recognition

Machine learning algorithms are adept at identifying patterns and anomalies in data that traditional systems miss. AI-based algorithms are also very good at seeing patterns in massive datasets that might be too granular for static techniques to see. Pattern recognition is important for both positive security (knowing what good inputs look like) and negative security (recognizing a bad input).

2. Adaptive learning

AI-enabled systems can continuously adapt, optimize and learn as attacks emerge and automatically improve detection and response capabilities. Continuously learning from realtime and historical requests so the improved knowledge can be used to make recommendations for specific protections while also applying automatic updates for web app and API protection.

3. Zero-day and anomaly detection

AI models identify deviations from normal behaviors in ways that static models can’t. A sudden change in web traffic patterns, for instance, could indicate an attack, even if it doesn’t match known signatures. Negative security, in particular, benefits significantly from AI because traditionally the rulesets and signatures defined what a bad input looks like, meaning that something that was bad but not seen before would not trigger a mitigation. AI algorithms can recognize a new behavior as bad even if it’s not been seen before.

4. Enhanced response time

Artificial intelligence processes and analyzes data faster than humanly possible. The use of AI speeds up the alerts on detections and also speeds up the time to deliver automatic updates and proactive, adaptive recommendations. Rapid threat detection capability enables swift deployment of protections against emerging threats and high-profile Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs).

Results

Running AI-WAF on Lanner’s ECA-5555 enables network security capabilities that leverage advanced machine learning algorithms and AI techniques to analyze incoming web traffic, identify potential threats, and take proactive measures to mitigate them. It operates at the application layer of the network stack, allowing it to inspect and analyze the content and behavior of web requests and responses in real-time.

Conclusion

AI-WAF provides an intelligent and proactive defense mechanism for web applications, safeguarding them against a wide range of cyber threats. By leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning, it offers an enhanced level of protection and adaptability in an ever-evolving security landscape.

Featured Product

---