Product Documentation
ADC
14.1 - Current Release 13.1 13.0 12.1
View PDF

Creating Web App Firewall profiles

February 9, 2024
Contributed by: 
B S C

You can create a Web App Firewall profile in one of two ways: by using the command line, and by using the GUI. Creating a profile by using the command line requires that you specify options on the command line. The process is similar to that of configuring a profile, and with a few exceptions the two commands take the same parameters.

Creating a profile by using the GUI requires that you specify only two options. You specify basic or advanced defaults, the default configuration for the various security checks and settings that are part of a profile, and choose the profile type to match the type of content that the profile is intended to protect. You can also, optionally, add a comment. After you create the profile, you must then configure it by selecting it in the data pane, and then clicking Edit.

If you plan to use the learning feature or to enable and configure many advanced protections, you must choose advanced defaults. In particular, if you plan to configure either of the SQL injection checks, either of the cross-site scripting checks, any check that provides protection against Web form attacks, or the cookie consistency check, you must plan to use the learning feature. Unless you include the proper exceptions for your protected websites when configuring these checks, they can block legitimate traffic. Anticipating all exceptions without creating any that are too broad is difficult. The learning feature makes this task much easier. Otherwise, basic defaults are quick and must provide the protection that your web applications need.

There are three profile types:

  • HTML. Protects standard HTML-based websites.
  • XML. Protects XML-based web services and websites.
  • Web 2.0 (HTML XML). Protects websites that contain both HTML and XML elements, such as ATOM feeds, blogs, and RSS feeds.

There are also a few restrictions on the name that you can give to a profile. A profile name cannot be the same as the name assigned to any other profile or action in any feature on the NetScaler appliance. Certain action or profile names are assigned to built-in actions or profiles, and can never be used for user profiles. A complete list of disallowed names can be found in the Web App Firewall Profile Supplemental Information. If you attempt to create a profile with a name that has already been used for an action or a profile, an error message is displayed and the profile is not created.

To create a Web App Firewall profile by using the command line interface

At the command prompt, type the following commands:

  • add appfw profile <name> [-defaults ( **basic** | **advanced** )]
  • set appfw profile <name> -type ( **HTML** | **XML** | **HTML XML** )
  • set appfw profile <name> -comment "<comment>"
  • save ns config

Example

The following example adds a profile named pr-basic, with basic defaults, and assigns a profile type of HTML. This is the appropriate initial configuration for a profile to protect an HTML website.

add appfw profile pr-basic -defaults basic -comment "Simple profile for websites."
set appfw profile pr-basic -type HTML
save ns config
<!--NeedCopy-->

To create a Web App Firewall profile by using the GUI

Complete the following procedure to create a Web App Firewall profile:

  1. Navigate to Security > Citrix Web App Firewall > Profiles.
  2. In the details pane, click Add.

  3. In the Create Web App Firewall Profile page, set the following basic parameters:

    1. Name
    2. Profile Type
    3. Comments
    4. Defaults
    5. Description
  4. Click OK.

  5. In the Advanced Settings section, complete the following configurations:

    1. Security Checks
    2. Profile Settings
    3. Dynamic Profiling
    4. Relaxation Rules
    5. Deny Rules
    6. Learned Rule
    7. Extended Logging
  6. In the Security Checks section, select a security protection and click Action Settings.

  7. In the security check page, set the parameters.

    Note: The Active Rule setting is available only for HTML SQL Injection check to allow > or deny signature rules.

  8. Click OK and Close.

  9. In the Profile Settings section, set the profile parameters. For more information, see Configure Web App Firewall Profile settings topic.
  10. In the Dynamic Profiling section, select a security check to add dynamic profile settings. For more information, see Dynamic Profile topic.
  11. In the Relaxation Rules section, click Edit to add a relaxation rule for a security check. For more information, see Relaxation Rule for details.
  12. In the Deny Rules section, add a deny rule for the HTML SQL Injection check. For more information, see HTML Deny Rules topic.
  13. In the Learnt Rule section, set the learning settings. For more information, see Web App Firewall Learning topic.
  14. In the Extended logging section, click Add for masking sensitive data. For more information, see Extended logging topic.
  15. Click Done, and then click Close.
Creating Web App Firewall profiles
February 9, 2024
Contributed by: 
B S C
February 9, 2024
Contributed by: 
B S C

In this article

Site feedback | Your privacy choices footer linkYour Privacy Choices | Privacy and legal terms | Cookie preferences | Consent settings | docs.cloud.com
© 1999- Cloud Software Group, Inc. All rights reserved.