What Is Wafw00f? Learn How to Detect Website Firewalls Like a Pro

Have you ever visited a website and wondered what kind of protection it’s using behind the scenes? That’s where Wafw00f comes in. Wafw00f is a popular open-source security tool that helps you identify Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) that are protecting websites.

This tool is often used by ethical hackers, penetration testers, and cybersecurity researchers to gather information during reconnaissance before conducting security tests.

🛡️ What Is a Web Application Firewall (WAF)?

A WAF is a security system that filters, monitors, and blocks HTTP traffic to and from a web application. Some popular WAFs include:

• Cloudflare

• AWS WAF

• Sucuri

• Akamai

• F5 BIG-IP

• ModSecurity

Knowing which WAF is protecting a site helps you understand its security posture and avoid false positives during testing.

⚙️ What Is Wafw00f?

Wafw00f is a Python-based tool created to identify and fingerprint over 80 different types of web application firewalls. It works by sending HTTP requests and analyzing responses to detect WAF behavior.

Key features include:

• Detection of 80+ WAFs

• Lightweight and easy to use

• Good for recon and footprinting

• Works on Linux, macOS, and Windows

🧰 How to Install Wafw00f

Wafw00f can be installed in different ways. Here's how to install it using Python:

📦 Step 1: Install Python (if not already installed)

sudo apt update && sudo apt install python3 python3-pip -y

📦 Step 2: Install Wafw00f via pip

pip install wafw00f

Alternatively, clone it from GitHub:

git clone https://github.com/EnableSecurity/wafw00f.gitcd wafw00fpython3 setup.py install

🚀 How to Use Wafw00f

Once installed, using Wafw00f is simple.

✅ Basic Command

wafw00f https://example.com

This will scan the website and show if it’s protected by a WAF and which type.

🧪 Example Output

Checking https://example.comThe site https://example.com is behind Cloudflare (Cloudflare Inc.)

✅ Scan Multiple Targets

You can also scan multiple sites using a text file:

wafw00f -i sites.txt

Where sites.txt contains one URL per line.

🛠️ Extra Options

• -a: Aggressive testing

• -v: Verbose output

• --findall: Attempt to find all WAFs if more than one is present

Example:

wafw00f -a -v https://example.com

📌 Use Cases

• ✅ Bug bounty hunting

• ✅ Red team recon

• ✅ Web application security testing

• ✅ CTFs (Capture the Flag)

❗ Disclaimer

Use Wafw00f only on websites you own or have permission to test. Unauthorized scanning is illegal and unethical.

Wafw00f is a handy tool for identifying website protection layers before you begin any deeper web security assessments. It’s easy to install, simple to use, and gives quick, accurate results.

Whether you're a student, hacker, or security enthusiast, give it a try and boost your recon game.