This blog will talk about some of the most effective secure web gateway strategies for newbies. So, if you are one of them, then read on.
Secure Web Gateway Strategies for Newbies
For newbies, deploying a secure web gateway (SWG) can be quite a task. So, the first strategy is to start with a simple web gateway configuration. This means that you will install and configure a web gateway appliance or virtual appliance.
The most important thing to remember is that SWG is designed to be placed between your external users and the internet. This means that all the traffic from your internal users needs to go through this appliance as well.
So, you will need to work closely with your network team to make sure that they understand the importance of this device. Moreover, they will need to place this device in a way that they can control all the traffic that goes through it.
Since you have already done the hard part by deploying this device, it is time for you to start making use of it. Now, you can already start blocking all the malicious traffic with the help of policy-based firewall rules. These rules can block all the protocols that are commonly used for malware distribution like SMTP (email), FTP, etc.
In addition to this, you can also configure a web application firewall (WAF) for your web servers or web servers to block any blacklisted URLs. Moreover, you can also configure a web security gateway (WESG) for your web servers or web servers.
Furthermore, you can also configure encryption services such as Secure Sockets Layer (SSL). This service allows users to encrypt their transmissions over the internet. And it also helps in protecting them from data snooping and man-in-the-middle attacks. However, SSL is not enough unless you use it with Transport Layer Security (TLS).
More Secure Web Gateway Strategies for Newbies
If you want to take advantage of the SSL decryption feature, then make sure that the SSL decryption feature is enabled in your SWG appliance itself. By default, these features are disabled. So make sure that they are enabled before allowing users to send their data through the HTTPS protocol.
Moreover, we would recommend using WAF for all your HTTP traffic as well. WAF gives extra protection by monitoring large numbers of requests from a single source. As well as by monitoring a large number of requests from different sources at one time.
Then, you can also implement strict host checking and blacklisting on your SWG devices by creating custom signature rules. This means that you can make use of your SWG to block malicious traffic. Finally, another thing that you can do is monitor your logs and alerts to keep track of all the malicious traffic that might have slipped through.
Conclusion
All these strategies will help you maintain a strong security posture for the network that you are managing. So, if you are new to this field, then these strategies will prove to be helpful for you in the long run.