Course Code: f5applicationsec1
Duration: 21 hours
Prerequisites:
  • An understanding of ___
  • Experience with ___
  • ___ programming experience

Audience

  • ___
  • ___
  • ___
Overview:

This 3-day F5 ASM/WAF training course is designed to provide participants with a comprehensive understanding of the F5 Application Security Manager (ASM) and Web Application Firewall (WAF) technologies. The course will cover the fundamental concepts, configuration, deployment, and management of ASM/WAF to protect web applications from attacks. By the end of the course, participants will be able to effectively implement and manage ASM/WAF solutions to enhance the security posture of their web applications.

Course Outline:

Day 1: Introduction to F5 ASM/WAF and Basic Configuration

Overview of Web Application Security

  • Objective: Understand the importance of web application security and common threats.
    • Introduction to web application security
    • Common web application threats (e.g., OWASP Top 10)
    • Role of WAF in protecting web applications

Introduction to F5 Application Security Manager (ASM)

  • Objective: Gain a basic understanding of F5 ASM and its features
    • Overview of F5 ASM architecture and components
    • Key features and benefits of using ASM
    • Understanding ASM policies and profiles

Basic ASM Configuration

  • Objective: Learn how to configure basic ASM settings.
    • Setting up and deploying ASM in a lab environment
    • Initial configuration of ASM policies
    • Creating and applying security policies to applications

Traffic Management and ASM Integration

  • Objective: Understand how ASM integrates with traffic management.
    • Configuring virtual servers for ASM traffic inspection
    • Integrating ASM with F5 LTM (Local Traffic Manager)
    • Managing and monitoring traffic through ASM

Day 2: Advanced ASM Features and Policy Management

Advanced Policy Configuration

  • Objective: Delve deeper into advanced ASM policy configurations.
    • Configuring advanced security policies (e.g., positive and negative security models)
    • Understanding and setting up learning and enforcement modes
    • Fine-tuning policies based on application behavior

Mitigating Web Application Attacks

  • Objective: Learn how to use ASM to protect against specific web application attacks.
    • Defending against SQL Injection, XSS, and other OWASP Top 10 attacks
    • Configuring signatures and custom attack signatures
    • Implementing brute force and DoS protection

Application Vulnerability Mitigation

  • Objective: Learn how ASM mitigates vulnerabilities in web applications.
    • Integrating ASM with vulnerability scanners (e.g., Nessus, Qualys)
    • Automated policy generation based on vulnerability scans
    • Handling false positives and refining policies

Logging, Reporting, and Monitoring

  • Objective: Understand how to use ASM’s logging and reporting features.
    • Configuring and customizing logs and alerts
    • Generating reports on application security incidents
    • Monitoring real-time traffic and security events

Day 3: ASM/WAF Advanced Management and Best Practices

WAF Tuning and Performance Optimization

  • Objective: Optimize the performance of ASM/WAF without compromising security
    • Best practices for policy tuning and performance management
    • Handling high-traffic applications with ASM
    • Load balancing considerations for ASM/WAF

Security Policy Life Cycle Management

  • Objective: Learn how to manage the entire life cycle of ASM policies
    • Policy versioning and rollback
    • Periodic review and update of security policies
    • Automating policy updates with CI/CD pipelines

Advanced Troubleshooting and Support

  • Objective: Develop advanced troubleshooting skills for ASM/WAF
    • Common issues and troubleshooting techniques
    • Using F5 support tools and resources
    • Case studies of real-world troubleshooting scenarios

Final Lab: Comprehensive ASM/WAF Deployment

  • Objective: Apply all learned concepts in a final lab exercise.
    • Deploying ASM/WAF in a simulated environment
    • Configuring advanced policies and integrating with external systems
    • Testing and validating the deployment for security effectiveness