Attach LoadBalancer to WAF

Purpose

Attaching a LoadBalancer to your Web Application Firewall (WAF) enables it to inspect and filter incoming traffic before it reaches your backend services. This helps protect your applications from a wide range of threats such as injection attacks, cross-site scripting, and malicious bots.

Steps to Attach a LoadBalancer

1. Login to Utho Cloud Console

1. Go to the Utho Cloud Console.
2. Enter your login credentials and click Login.
3. If you don’t have an account, Sign Up.

2. Navigate to the WAF Manage Page

1. From the Utho dashboard sidebar, click on WAF under Security.
2. You will be directed to the list of created WAFs.
3. Click Manage next to the WAF instance you want to configure.

3. Access the Resources Section

1. On the WAF Manage page, scroll down or click the Resources tab.
2. You’ll see a list of currently attached LoadBalancers (if any), showing:
   • LB ID
   • Type
   • Port
   • Status
   • Created At

4. Attach a LoadBalancer

1. Click on the Attach LoadBalancer button.
2. A list of available LoadBalancers (created under your project/account) will be displayed.
3. Select the LoadBalancer you want to protect with this WAF.
4. Click Attach to finalize the operation.

What Happens After Attachment

• The WAF starts filtering and inspecting traffic coming through the selected LoadBalancer.
• Only traffic that passes WAF rules (managed and custom) reaches the backend servers.
• You can monitor the traffic flow and attacks using WAF logs and dashboards.

Important Notes

• One WAF can protect multiple LoadBalancers, but a LoadBalancer can be attached to only one WAF at a time.
• Ensure that your WAF rules are properly configured before attaching to a live LoadBalancer to avoid blocking legitimate traffic.
• If you later update rules (enable/disable), those updates will apply to all attached LoadBalancers automatically.

Conclusion

Attaching a LoadBalancer to a WAF is a critical step to securing your cloud applications from Layer 7 (application-layer) attacks. Once attached, the WAF begins enforcing your defined security policies immediately across incoming traffic.