What is a typical characteristic of a host-based Web Application Firewall (WAF)?

A host-based Web Application Firewall (WAF) is characterized by being software that is installed directly on the web server itself. This setup allows the firewall to inspect and filter incoming and outgoing traffic to the web application running on that server, providing protection from various threats such as SQL injection and cross-site scripting.

By being integrated with the web server, this type of WAF offers several advantages, such as the ability to protect specific applications more granularly and the capability to access the application's own logs for better monitoring and response to attacks. This close integration allows for a better understanding of the application’s normal and abnormal behavior, facilitating faster tuning and response to threats.

In contrast to other options, a standalone appliance WAF, which would be installed separately, does not function like a host-based WAF. Similarly, a host-based WAF does require configuration to optimize its performance and protective capabilities, contrary to the suggestion that it operates without any setup. Finally, while security strategies can include layering defenses by placing WAFs behind web servers, a host-based WAF primarily functions on the web server itself, emphasizing its role as an integral part of the application defense.