Here’s a comprehensive explanation of WafW00f, a popular tool in cybersecurity:
🛡️ What Is WafW00f?
WafW00f is a Web Application Firewall (WAF) fingerprinting tool developed by EnableSecurity that helps security professionals identify which WAF is protecting a website. It’s widely used in penetration testing and reconnaissance to understand the security posture of a target before launching deeper tests.
🧠 How WafW00f Works
WafW00f uses a combination of techniques to detect WAFs:
- Sends standard HTTP requests and analyzes the responses.
- If no WAF is detected, it sends malicious or crafted requests to trigger WAF defenses.
- It then uses response patterns, headers, and status codes to identify the WAF product.
This layered approach makes it effective even against stealthy or customized WAF configurations.
🔍 What WafW00f Can Detect
WafW00f can identify dozens of WAFs, including:
- AWS Elastic Load Balancer
- Cloudflare
- F5 BIG-IP
- Microsoft Azure Front Door
- Imperva SecureSphere
- Alibaba Cloud WAF
- Radware AppWall
- Cisco ACE XML Gateway
- And many more
You can list all detectable WAFs with:
wafw00f -l
🛠️ How to Use WafW00f
Basic usage:
wafw00f www.example.com
Advanced usage:
wafw00f -a www.example.com
-a: Enables aggressive detection mode for deeper analysis.
You can also integrate WafW00f with tools like Nmap for enhanced scanning:
nmap -p 80,443 --script=http-waf-detect targetsite.com
📦 Installation
To install WafW00f on Kali Linux or any Linux distro:
git clone https://github.com/EnableSecurity/wafw00f
cd wafw00f
python3 setup.py install
⚠️ Ethical Use Reminder
Always use WafW00f with permission. Scanning websites without authorization can violate laws and terms of service.
