What is a web security gateway?
A web security gateway, also known as a secure web gateway, is a device, cloud service, or application that is deployed at the boundaries of a network to monitor and stop malicious traffic from entering the organization, and to block users from accessing malicious or suspicious web resources. Standard features of a web security gateway may include URL filtering, virus and malware code detection, data leak prevention, CASB, and other application level control.
Secure web gateways are essential to thwart cybercriminals who have grown adept at web impersonation, websites that appear to be authentic, but in fact are fake. The purpose of these fake sites is to dupe unsuspecting users to click on a malicious link and/or disclose personal information. Examples include bogus shopping, business, and financial sites.
How does a secure web gateway work?
A secure web gateway acts just as the name implies: web traffic to and from a network must first pass through a gate that checks for malicious code, suspects URLs, and other potential threats. The gateways also block unapproved uploads to cloud services as well as prohibited data.
A secure web gateway can also provide additional controls such social media filtering, document scanning, and anti-malware integration for zero-day (never seen before) threat detection.
Why is a secure web gateway important?
A secure web gateway helps protect against increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks. With the growing threat of ransomware, a secure web gateway is an essential barrier to head off a likely attack that literally holds an organization hostage.
Defending websites and web applications against attack is critical to enabling business continuity and to protecting the organization from data theft and financial loss.
What are the benefits of a web secure gateway?
The benefit of a web secure gateway include:
- Prevents users from downloading malware or clicking on website spoofing, sites that contain malware and/or trick users to divulge passwords and personal information
- Monitor and prevent access to websites that are not approved by the organization
- Protect against data leakage
- Stop implanted malware from communicating with hackers
Organizations need a superior web security gateway service
When it comes to cybersecurity, the web continues to be a dangerous place. More than 90% of successful malware incidents today use the web and DNS specifically to breach defenses and launch attacks. With one of every 13 web requests leading to some form of malware, it's imperative that organizations deploy a web security gateway.
Few organizations, however, implement adequate protections and many organizations aren't monitoring their DNS layers at all. For some, the DNS security solutions are too expensive and complex, while others are saddled with a collection of disjointed security solutions that are resource-intensive and hard to manage. And few legacy or on-premises systems can adapt quickly enough to respond to web security threats emerging from a rapidly evolving security landscape.
Mimecast offers a solution: an easy-to-use, cloud-based web security gateway service that reduces the cost and complexity of securing the DNS layer while providing comprehensive protection to keep the web safe.
Providing an integrated email and web security gateway service
Mimecast Web Security is a simple and cost-effective cloud service that organizations can quickly deploy as a web security gateway. Mimecast provides security and monitoring at the DNS layer, protecting the organization from malware and domain spoofing by blocking access to unsafe websites based on information from Mimecast threat intelligence and by enforcing an organization's own acceptable web use policies.
Mimecast web security services are seamlessly integrated with Mimecast email security solutions, delivering an integrated email and web security gateway service that defends against the top two vectors for cyberattacks – email and the web – which together account for 99% of malware deployments.
With Mimecast's web security gateway service, organizations can:
- Prevent users from landing on sites that contain malware and other threats.
- Prevent users from downloading files that contain malware.
- Monitor and control the types of websites users are permitted to visit.
- Stop devices that have been infected with malware from communicating with the hackers who planted it.
- Protect data from exfiltration attacks.
- Analyze web usage trends and monitor employee use of the Internet for business purposes.
How Mimecast's web security gateway solution protects organizations
Mimecast's web security gateway service protects users and organizations from attacks by inspecting every web request, including clicked links and web addresses entered by users. Every URL is filtered through Mimecast threat intelligence and security analytics and the organization's acceptable use controls to determine whether the address is safe or unsafe. Mimecast blocks access to unsafe web resources and notifies users via a block page. Mimecast permits users to access safe web resources immediately, without any delay in response time.
All activity is logged, providing system administrators with access logs and associated reports that can be used to monitor web usage and to identify websites containing malware.
Why choose a web security gateway service from Mimecast?
- Protection anytime and anywhere. Mimecast's web security gateway service protects users both on and off the organization's network, and delivers minimal latency, high performance and best-in-class protection no matter where users are located.
- An integrated solution. Mimecast offers an integrated, cloud-based solution that protects the top two cyberattack vectors, email and the web.
- Fast deployment. With Mimecast, organizations can implement a web security gateway service in less than 60 minutes.
- Cost-effective protection. Mimecast's web security gateway service can be deployed at a fraction of the cost of alternatives.
- Simplified administration. Managed from a single, cloud-based console, the Mimecast web security gateway service enables IT administrators to consistently apply security policies throughout the organization, and to simplify administration by automatically applying policy configurations, directory synchronization, user accounts, roles and permissions, branding and audit reporting to email and web security.
Secure web gateway FAQs
How secure web gateways are different from firewalls?
A firewall sets rules to govern data that enters or leaves a network so as to restrict or prevent unauthorized access. Generally speaking, It’s a basic form of protection that while it has developed a more extensive feature set, does not provide the same robust level of threat protection as a secure web gateway, nor does it have the same range of reporting features.
A secure web gateway monitors, inspects, and prevents suspicious traffic from entering or leaving an organization’s network; this includes URL filtering, data leakage prevention, malware code protection and control.
What are the best practices for web security gateways?
Web security gateway best practices include the ability to:
- Protect anytime and anywhere no matter where users are located.
- Provide an Integrated, cloud-based solution that protects the top two cyberattack vectors, email and the web.
- Deploy quickly, in less than 60 minutes.
- Provide cost-effective protection.
- Manage administration from a single, cloud-based console, to enable IT administrators to consistently apply security policies throughout the organization, and to simplify administration by automatically applying policy configurations, directory synchronization, user accounts, roles and permissions, branding and audit reporting to email and web security.
What are the features of a secure web gateway?
Standard features of a web security gateway may include URL filtering, virus and malware code detection, data leak prevention, CASB, and other application level control.
