AWS WAF for web application firewall - Interactive Code Practice

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

Complete the code to create a Web ACL with AWS WAF.

AWS

aws wafv2 create-web-acl --name MyWebACL --scope REGIONAL --default-action Block={} --visibility-config SampledRequestsEnabled=true,CloudWatchMetricsEnabled=true,MetricName=[1]

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

AWebACLMetric

BMetricName

CMyMetric

DDefaultMetric

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using reserved words like 'MetricName' as the metric name.

Leaving the metric name empty.

Using spaces in the metric name.

The MetricName must be a unique name for CloudWatch metrics. 'WebACLMetric' is a valid example.

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the code to add a rule to allow requests from a specific IP set.

AWS

aws wafv2 update-web-acl --name MyWebACL --scope REGIONAL --rules '[{"Name": "AllowIPSetRule", "Priority": 1, "Action": {"Allow": {}}, "Statement": {"IPSetReferenceStatement": {"ARN": "[1]"}}, "VisibilityConfig": {"SampledRequestsEnabled": true, "CloudWatchMetricsEnabled": true, "MetricName": "AllowIPSetMetric"}}]'

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Aarn:aws:ec2:region:account-id:instance/instance-id

Barn:aws:s3:::mybucket

Carn:aws:wafv2:region:account-id:ipset/ipset-id

Darn:aws:iam::account-id:user/username

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using ARNs from unrelated AWS services.

Using incomplete or incorrect ARN formats.

The IPSetReferenceStatement requires the ARN of an AWS WAF IP set. Only option C is a valid IP set ARN.

3fill in blank

hard

Fix the error in the JSON rule statement to block SQL injection attacks.

AWS

"Statement": {"[1]": {"FieldToMatch": {"QueryString": {}}, "TextTransformations": [{"Priority": 0, "Type": "URL_DECODE"}]}}

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

ASqliMatch

BSqlInjectionMatchStatement

CSQLiMatchStatement

DSqliMatchStatement

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using incorrect casing or misspelled statement names.

Omitting 'Statement' suffix.

The correct AWS WAF statement key for SQL injection match is 'SqliMatchStatement'. It is case sensitive and must be exact.

4fill in blank

hard

Fill both blanks to create a rate-based rule that blocks requests over 1000 per 5 minutes.

AWS

"Rules": [{"Name": "RateLimitRule", "Priority": 1, "Action": {"Block": {}}, "Statement": {"[1]": {"Limit": [2], "AggregateKeyType": "IP"}}, "VisibilityConfig": {"SampledRequestsEnabled": true, "CloudWatchMetricsEnabled": true, "MetricName": "RateLimitMetric"}}]

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

ARateBasedStatement

BRateLimitStatement

C1000

D500

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using incorrect statement keys.

Setting the limit too low or too high without understanding.

The statement key for rate limiting is 'RateBasedStatement'. The limit value is the number of requests allowed, here 1000.

5fill in blank

hard

Fill all three blanks to define a managed rule group statement with AWS Managed Rules for common exploits.

AWS

"Statement": {"ManagedRuleGroupStatement": {"VendorName": "[1]", "Name": "[2]", "ExcludedRules": [{"Name": "[3]"}]}}

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

AAWS

BAWSManagedRulesCommonRuleSet

CSizeRestrictions_BODY

DMicrosoft

EAWSManagedRulesSQLiRuleSet

FNoUserAgentHeader

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using wrong vendor names like 'Microsoft'.

Choosing wrong managed rule group names.

Excluding rules not in the group.

The vendor for AWS managed rules is 'AWS'. The common rule set is 'AWSManagedRulesCommonRuleSet'. 'SizeRestrictions_BODY' is a common rule to exclude.

Practice

1. What is the main purpose of AWS WAF (Web Application Firewall)?

easy

A. To store large amounts of data securely

B. To manage virtual machines in the cloud

C. To protect web applications by filtering and blocking harmful web traffic

D. To monitor network bandwidth usage

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand AWS WAF's role

   AWS WAF is designed to protect web applications by filtering incoming HTTP requests based on rules.

2. Step 2: Compare options with AWS WAF function

   Only To protect web applications by filtering and blocking harmful web traffic describes filtering and blocking harmful web traffic, which matches AWS WAF's purpose.

3. Final Answer:

   To protect web applications by filtering and blocking harmful web traffic -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   AWS WAF = Web traffic protection [OK]

Hint: AWS WAF filters web traffic to protect apps [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing AWS WAF with storage services
• Thinking AWS WAF manages virtual machines
• Assuming AWS WAF monitors bandwidth

2. Which of the following is the correct way to create a rule in AWS WAF to block requests from a specific IP address?

easy

A. Use AWS Shield to block the IP address

B. Directly add the IP address to the Web ACL without a rule

C. Create a Lambda function to block the IP address

D. Create an IP set with the IP address, then add a rule to block requests matching that IP set

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand AWS WAF rule creation

   In AWS WAF, you create an IP set containing IP addresses, then create a rule that uses this IP set to block matching requests.

2. Step 2: Evaluate options for correctness

   Create an IP set with the IP address, then add a rule to block requests matching that IP set correctly describes creating an IP set and a rule. Options B, C, and D do not follow AWS WAF's process.

3. Final Answer:

   Create an IP set with the IP address, then add a rule to block requests matching that IP set -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   IP set + rule = block IP [OK]

Hint: Use IP sets with rules to block IPs in AWS WAF [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Trying to block IPs directly in Web ACL without rules
• Confusing AWS WAF with Lambda or Shield
• Skipping IP set creation

3. Given this AWS WAF rule configuration snippet:
{"Name": "BlockBadBots", "Priority": 1, "Action": {"Block": {}}, "Statement": {"ByteMatchStatement": {"SearchString": "BadBot", "FieldToMatch": {"UriPath": {}}, "TextTransformations": [{"Priority": 0, "Type": "NONE"}]}}}
What will happen when a request URI contains the text "BadBot"?

medium

A. The rule will cause an error and not apply

B. The request will be blocked by AWS WAF

C. The request will be logged but allowed

D. The request will be allowed without filtering

Solution

1. Step 1: Analyze the ByteMatchStatement

   The rule looks for the string "BadBot" in the URI path and blocks the request if found.

2. Step 2: Understand the action on match

   The action is "Block", so any request matching the condition will be blocked.

3. Final Answer:

   The request will be blocked by AWS WAF -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Match "BadBot" in URI = block request [OK]

Hint: ByteMatch with Block action blocks matching requests [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming requests are allowed by default
• Confusing Block with Count or Allow actions
• Thinking the rule causes errors

4. You created an AWS WAF rule to block requests from IP 203.0.113.5, but requests from this IP are still allowed. What is the most likely cause?

medium

A. The Web ACL is not associated with the resource

B. AWS WAF does not support blocking IP addresses

C. The IP address was not added to the IP set used by the rule

D. The rule action is set to Allow instead of Block

Solution

1. Step 1: Check IP set and rule configuration

   If the IP was not added to the IP set or the rule action was wrong, blocking would fail, but these are common mistakes.

2. Step 2: Verify Web ACL association

   Even if rules are correct, if the Web ACL is not linked to the web resource (like CloudFront or ALB), rules won't apply.

3. Final Answer:

   The Web ACL is not associated with the resource -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Web ACL association needed for rules to apply [OK]

Hint: Always associate Web ACL with resource to enforce rules [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Forgetting to associate Web ACL with the resource
• Assuming AWS WAF can't block IPs
• Setting wrong rule action

5. You want to protect your web app from SQL injection and block requests from a list of suspicious IPs. Which AWS WAF setup is best?

hard

A. Create a Web ACL with a managed SQL injection rule group and a custom IP set rule to block suspicious IPs

B. Use only an IP set rule to block suspicious IPs, ignoring SQL injection

C. Create a Lambda function to inspect requests and block SQL injection

D. Enable AWS Shield Advanced to block SQL injection and IPs

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify protection needs

   You need to block SQL injection attacks and block suspicious IP addresses.

2. Step 2: Choose AWS WAF features

   AWS WAF provides managed rule groups for SQL injection and supports IP set rules for blocking IPs.

3. Step 3: Evaluate options

   Create a Web ACL with a managed SQL injection rule group and a custom IP set rule to block suspicious IPs combines managed SQL injection rules and custom IP set blocking, which is best practice. Options B, C, and D do not fully meet requirements or use incorrect services.

4. Final Answer:

   Create a Web ACL with a managed SQL injection rule group and a custom IP set rule to block suspicious IPs -> Option A

5. Quick Check:

   Managed rules + IP sets = full protection [OK]

Hint: Combine managed rules with IP sets for layered protection [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using only IP blocking without SQL injection rules
• Relying on Lambda or Shield for WAF tasks
• Not combining rules in one Web ACL