What is the primary way a WAF helps prevent web application attacks?

• A. It inspects HTTP/HTTPS traffic for attack patterns and blocks them.
• B. It encrypts all HTTP traffic
• C. It stores all logs in a data lake
• D. It performs load balancing

Answer: (B)

WAFs protect web applications by examining incoming HTTP/HTTPS requests at the application layer and enforcing security rules. It scans for attack patterns such as SQL injection, cross-site scripting, and other malicious payloads, blocking requests that match these patterns before they reach the application. Encryption of traffic is about confidentiality and involves TLS/SSL, not the primary defense mechanism of a WAF. Logging is for visibility and forensics, not the core way a WAF prevents exploits, and load balancing focuses on distributing traffic rather than filtering attacks.