7 Key WAF Features E-Commerce & Retail Businesses Need in 2025

In the last year, e-commerce & retail sites saw an alarming surge in cyberattacks, with each website facing over a million attacks. The industry has become a prime target for cybercriminals due to its reliance on digital transactions, the vast amount of consumer data it handles, and the high value of its goods and services.

Retailers also increasingly depend on third-party integrations – from payment gateways and shipping services to marketing tools and loyalty platforms, making them even more vulnerable to cyber threats. These interconnected systems provide more attack surfaces, allowing cybercriminals to exploit weaknesses anywhere in the supply chain.

The Indusface State of Application Security 2025 report highlights how cyberattacks on e-commerce/retail businesses have grown in scale and sophistication: 

• DDoS attacks surged 10× from Q1 to Q4 2024
• Vulnerability-targeted attacks rose 8× during the same period
• Credential stuffing and carding bots were among the most common threats, used to commit fraud and take over user accounts

To stay resilient against these evolving threats, these businesses need to rethink perimeter-based security and adopt a robust Web Application & API Protection (WAAP) strategy.

7 Essential WAAP Features for Retail in 2025

1. Discover the Entire Attack Surface: Applications, APIs & Mobile Apps:

Retail and e-commerce businesses frequently launch new microsites, marketing pages, third-party integrations, and APIs to support dynamic campaigns and user experiences. But these rapid rollouts often happen without centralized oversight—leading to visibility gaps and security blind spots.

A modern WAF must include:

• Continuous asset discovery to automatically identify every exposed website, subdomain, and microsite
• Automated API discovery to uncover undocumented or shadow APIs created by distributed teams
• API protection with a positive security model to restrict inputs, methods, and flows to only those explicitly allowed
• One-click onboarding of discovered assets with zero downtime
• Default block mode for all protected apps—not just logging

These capabilities ensure that no entry point is overlooked or left unprotected.

2. Protect Against Business Logic Abuse & Fraud:

Attackers frequently exploit flaws in business logic—manipulating promo codes, return policies, or draining stock using automated tools.

Key Stat:

As per Verizon DBIR report, vulnerability exploitation surged by nearly 3X (180%) last year, surpassing phishing to become one of the top threat vectors.

A modern WAF must include:

• Continuous automated scanning (DAST) paired with expert-led PTaaS
• SLA-based autonomous vulnerability remediation with zero-false-positive validation (Instant virtual patching that prevents exploit attempts without requiring code changes)
• Integration with CI/CD pipelines for enabling a shift-left strategy and reducing the ratio of open vulnerabilities before they land in production.

3. Defend Against DDoS Attacks

DDoS is the #1 attack vector in e-commerce and retail. These platforms are frequent targets of DDoS attacks, particularly during flash sales, festive seasons, and high-traffic events. Even a minute of downtime during these critical windows can result in major revenue loss and damaged customer trust.

Key Stats:

• DDoS attacks surged 10× from Q1 to Q4 2024
• 6 out of 10 sites witnessed a DDoS attack in the last year

Key Capabilities to Look for Mitigating DDoS Attacks:

• Globally distributed in-line scrubbing that scales instantly for legitimate traffic—up to 100× expected load
• Early-stage malicious traffic filtering to prevent business impact before it scales
• Transparent billing that applies only to legitimate user traffic
• AI-powered traffic analysis to detect and block anomalous request patterns in real time
• “I’m under attack” mode to activate instant hardening and emergency response

4. Stop Malicious Bots Behind Fraud & Abuse

Bots are a persistent and sophisticated threat for e-commerce businesses. From credential stuffing and carding to price scraping and purchase manipulation, bots often mimic real users to bypass basic controls.

Common Bot-Based Threats in Retail & E-Commerce:

• Credential Stuffing: Attempting to break into user accounts using leaked credentials
• Carding: Using stolen card info to test and complete fraudulent transactions
• Scraping: Extracting product details, reviews, and pricing to undercut competition
• Sneaker Botting: Exploiting sales or limited-time offers by bulk-purchasing discounted items and reselling them at higher prices

Key Capabilities to Look for in a WAF:

• Multi-layered bot protection through behavioral analysis of various parameters such as IP addresses, user agents, URIs, bounce rates, and session patterns
• Correlated risk scoring and anomaly detection that continuously evaluate request behavior across modules to flag suspicious or abnormal activity in real time
• Device fingerprinting, JavaScript challenges, and CAPTCHA to distinguish between human and automated traffic
• Workflow-based custom policy creation to uniquely identify and block bots—e.g., policies that flag users who consistently add high-demand items during flash sales but never complete checkout
• Comprehensive bot traffic reports that provide visibility and support ongoing tuning of security posture

5. Secure Third-Party Integrations & Strengthen Client-Side Protection:

Every external script or integration—be it for payments, personalization, chat, or analytics—introduces risk. Client-side attacks like Magecart remain a growing concern.

A striking recent example is the Polyfill.io supply chain attack, where attackers injected malicious code into a popular JavaScript CDN service. Dozens of e-commerce and retail websites unknowingly loaded the compromised script, putting customer data at risk.

A modern WAF must include:

• Continuously scans and monitors third-party scripts to detect anomalies, preventing threats like Magecart.
• Defense against, skimming, formjacking, and script injection via behavioral analysis and integrity monitoring
• Origin IP whitelisting to protect backend access from unapproved sources
• Automated virtual patching of third-party zero-days and known issues

Explore more: Client-Side Protection with AppTrana WAAP

6. Help in Continuous Compliance & Security Audits:

Retail and e-commerce businesses are subject to a variety of regulations:

• PCI DSS for payment security
• GDPR/CCPA for consumer data privacy
• ISO 27001 or SOC 2 for broader information security assurance

A modern WAF must include:

• Security controls mapped to PCI DSS, SOC 2, GRPR, and data privacy laws
• Automated log and audit trail generation for every security event
• Real-time reports for compliance/audit needs for internal and external stakeholders
• CI/CD integration for traceability of every deployment and patch
• Continuous third-party monitoring to ensure vendor compliance as well

7. Ensure High Availability by Choosing WAAPs Designed for Failure:

In the fast-paced world of e-commerce and retail, even a single minute of downtime can result in lost sales, damaged customer trust, and brand reputation. The recent CrowdStrike incident highlighted how even some of the largest retailers and e-commerce giants, such as Walmart and Target, faced significant downtime due to a vendor-triggered system outage. This shows how critical it is for businesses to invest in solutions that ensure seamless uptime, even during unexpected system-level disruptions.

A modern WAAP must include:

• 100% uptime guarantee
• Automated failover built in – to prevent downtime during attacks
• Highly scalable infrastructure to handle traffic surges during sales, promotions, and product launches
• CDN integration for faster page loading and reduced latency

This approach ensures that even in the face of threats, your website remains accessible, fast, and secure. 

How AppTrana WAAP Addresses These Needs

AppTrana WAAP delivers a comprehensive, AI-powered solution to address the growing security challenges faced by e-commerce businesses, ensuring proactive protection and rapid vulnerability remediation. Here’s how AppTrana helps:

• Comprehensive Attack Surface Discovery: Continuous discovery of websites, subdomains, APIs, and microsites to ensure no exposed asset is left unprotected.
• Business Logic Protection: Prevents business logic abuse through automated vulnerability scanning and expert-led penetration testing (PTaaS).
• DDoS & Bot Protection: Offers real-time DDoS attack mitigation, bot traffic filtering, and AI-powered bot behavior analysis to stop malicious bots in their tracks.
• Client-Side Security: Protects third-party integrations and client-side scripts from attacks like Magecart and formjacking with advanced script behavior monitoring.
• Compliance Readiness: Ensures asset and API inventory, real-time logging, and zero vulnerability reports that enable organizations comply with regulations like PCI DSS, GDPR, and SOC 2.
• Autonomous Remediation: Provides autonomous vulnerability remediation to fix security gaps in just 72 hours & prevent exploitation without requiring immediate code changes.
• 100% Availability: Guarantees uptime with automated failover and scalable infrastructure, ensuring your site remains operational, even during large-scale attacks.
• 24/7 SOC Monitoring: Continuous expert monitoring and response, ensuring rapid detection, real-time threat mitigation, and zero false positives for maximum security.

Case Study: Stopping Carding Attacks for a US Retailer

A leading retail business successfully mitigated carding attacks using AppTrana WAAP, ensuring the protection of user accounts and preventing fraudulent transactions.

Here’s how AppTrana helped:

• The retailer faced a wave of carding attacks from bots attempting fraudulent purchases.
• AppTrana WAAP blocked thousands of malicious requests in real time using AI-driven detection and custom rules created by Indusface’s 24/7 managed SOC team.
• Result: Zero fake orders, protecting both revenue and customer trust.
• Continuous SOC monitoring ensured ongoing protection against evolving carding tactics.

For more details, explore the full case study here.

Final Thoughts

As cyberattacks on e-commerce businesses grow in both scale and sophistication, staying ahead of threats like carding, DDoS, and bot attacks is crucial. A robust WAAP solution, like AppTrana, not only defends against these attacks but also ensures your business remains resilient, secure, and compliant.

With AI-powered protection, autonomous remediation, and 24/7 expert monitoring, e-commerce businesses can focus on growth while knowing their digital assets are in safe hands.

Want to see it in action? Start a free trial or request a demo today.

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