Nemesida WAF API

The installation and setup guide of Nemesida WAF API module, which is intended for receiving information about attacks and identified vulnerabilities.

Contents

Nemesida WAF API installation and setup
Nemesida WAF API integration
Nemesida WAF API database structure

The domain name example.com and subdomains in the guide is used as an example.

Nemesida WAF API installation and setup

Nemesida WAF API is intended to transfer information from the Nemesida WAF modules (blocked requests, detected vulnerabilities, operation status of machine learning module) to the PostgreSQL database for subsequent integration with different services, such as Nemesida WAF Cabinet, SIEM class systems, etc.

To install Nemesida WAF API, you must perform the following steps:

1. Allow access to https://nemesida-security.com.
2. Install the module:

DebianUbuntuCentOS

# apt install apt-transport-https

Debian 9

# echo "deb https://repository.pentestit.ru/nw/debian stretch non-free" > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/NemesidaWAF.list

Debian 10

# echo "deb https://repository.pentestit.ru/nw/debian buster non-free" > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/NemesidaWAF.list

# wget -O- https://repository.pentestit.ru/nw/gpg.key | apt-key add -
# apt update && apt upgrade
# apt install python3-pip python3-dev python3-venv nginx postgresql-server-dev-all
# apt install nwaf-api

Installation of niginx will be done automatically with the creation of a virtual host in the /etc/nginx/conf.d/ directory. Upon completion of the installation, rename the virtual host configuration file nwaf-api.conf.disabledin nwaf-api.conf and restart nginx.

For security it is recommended to allow requests to Nemesida WAF API from servers with Nemesida WAF, Nemesida AI and Nemesida WAF Scanner only.

Install and configure the PostgreSQL:

# apt install postgresql

Create database, user and password to connect Nemesida WAF API module:

# su - postgres -c "psql -c \"CREATE DATABASE waf;\""
# su - postgres -c "psql -c \"CREATE ROLE nw_api PASSWORD 'YOUR_PASSWORD';\""
# su - postgres -c "psql -c \"GRANT ALL ON DATABASE waf to nw_api;\""
# su - postgres -c "psql -c \"ALTER ROLE nw_api WITH LOGIN;\""

Create database, user and password to connect Nemesida WAF Cabinet module:

# su - postgres -c "psql -c \"CREATE DATABASE cabinet;\""
# su - postgres -c "psql -c \"CREATE ROLE nw_cabinet PASSWORD 'YOUR_PASSWORD';\""
# su - postgres -c "psql -c \"GRANT ALL ON DATABASE cabinet to nw_cabinet;\""
# su - postgres -c "psql -c \"ALTER ROLE nw_cabinet WITH LOGIN;\""

# apt install apt-transport-https

16.04

Connect the repository:

# echo "deb [arch=amd64] https://repository.pentestit.ru/nw/ubuntu xenial non-free" > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/NemesidaWAF.list
# wget -O- https://repository.pentestit.ru/nw/gpg.key | apt-key add -

Connect Python 3.6 repository:

# apt install software-properties-common
# add-apt-repository ppa:deadsnakes/ppa

Install the packages:

# apt update && apt upgrade
# apt install python3.6-dev python3.6-venv nginx postgresql-server-dev-all
# curl https://bootstrap.pypa.io/get-pip.py | python3.6

18.04

Connect the repository and install the packages:

# echo "deb [arch=amd64] https://repository.pentestit.ru/nw/ubuntu bionic non-free" > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/NemesidaWAF.list
# wget -O- https://repository.pentestit.ru/nw/gpg.key | apt-key add -
# apt update && apt upgrade
# apt install python3-pip python3-dev python3-venv nginx postgresql-server-dev-all

 # apt install nwaf-api

For security it is recommended to allow requests to Nemesida WAF API from servers with Nemesida WAF, Nemesida AI and Nemesida WAF Scanner only.

Install and configure the PostgreSQL:

# apt install postgresql

Create database, user and password to connect Nemesida WAF API module:

# su - postgres -c "psql -c \"CREATE DATABASE waf;\""
# su - postgres -c "psql -c \"CREATE ROLE nw_api PASSWORD 'YOUR_PASSWORD';\""
# su - postgres -c "psql -c \"GRANT ALL ON DATABASE waf to nw_api;\""
# su - postgres -c "psql -c \"ALTER ROLE nw_api WITH LOGIN;\""

Create database, user and password to connect Nemesida WAF Cabinet module:

# su - postgres -c "psql -c \"CREATE DATABASE cabinet;\""
# su - postgres -c "psql -c \"CREATE ROLE nw_cabinet PASSWORD 'YOUR_PASSWORD';\""
# su - postgres -c "psql -c \"GRANT ALL ON DATABASE cabinet to nw_cabinet;\""
# su - postgres -c "psql -c \"ALTER ROLE nw_cabinet WITH LOGIN;\""

Configure the SELinux policy or deactivate it with the command:

# setenforce 0

then bring the file /etc/selinux/config to the form:

# This file controls the state of SELinux on the system.
# SELINUX= can take one of these three values:
#     enforcing - SELinux security policy is enforced.
#     permissive - SELinux prints warnings instead of enforcing.
#     disabled - No SELinux policy is loaded.
SELINUX=disabled
# SELINUXTYPE= can take one of three two values:
#     targeted - Targeted processes are protected,
#     minimum - Modification of targeted policy. Only selected processes are protected.
#     mls - Multi Level Security protection.
SELINUXTYPE=targeted

CentOS 7

Connect additional repositories and install the necessary dependencies:

# rpm -Uvh https://repository.pentestit.ru/nw/centos/nwaf-release-centos-7-1-6.noarch.rpm
# rpm -Uvh https://yum.postgresql.org/11/redhat/rhel-7-x86_64/pgdg-centos11-11-2.noarch.rpm
# rpm -Uvh https://nginx.org/packages/centos/7/noarch/RPMS/nginx-release-centos-7-0.el7.ngx.noarch.rpm
# yum install python36 python36-pip python36-devel nginx postgresql11-devel gcc
# yum install nwaf-api

For security it is recommended to allow requests to Nemesida WAF API from servers with Nemesida WAF, Nemesida AI and Nemesida WAF Scanner only.

Install and configure the PostgreSQL:

# yum install postgresql11-server
# /usr/pgsql-11/bin/postgresql-11-setup initdb
# sed -i "s|host    all             all             127.0.0.1/32            ident|host    all             all             127.0.0.1/32            md5|" /var/lib/pgsql/11/data/pg_hba.conf
# sed -i "s|host    all             all             ::1/128                 ident|host    all             all             ::1/128                 md5|" /var/lib/pgsql/11/data/pg_hba.conf
# systemctl start postgresql-11.service
# systemctl enable postgresql-11.service

Create database, user and password to connect Nemesida WAF API module:

# su - postgres -c "psql -c \"CREATE DATABASE waf;\""
# su - postgres -c "psql -c \"CREATE ROLE nw_api PASSWORD 'YOUR_PASSWORD';\""
# su - postgres -c "psql -c \"GRANT ALL ON DATABASE waf to nw_api;\""
# su - postgres -c "psql -c \"ALTER ROLE nw_api WITH LOGIN;\""

Create database, user and password to connect Nemesida WAF Cabinet module:

# su - postgres -c "psql -c \"CREATE DATABASE cabinet;\""
# su - postgres -c "psql -c \"CREATE ROLE nw_cabinet PASSWORD 'YOUR_PASSWORD';\""
# su - postgres -c "psql -c \"GRANT ALL ON DATABASE cabinet to nw_cabinet;\""
# su - postgres -c "psql -c \"ALTER ROLE nw_cabinet WITH LOGIN;\""

CentOS 8

Connect additional repositories and install the necessary dependencies:

# rpm -Uvh https://repository.pentestit.ru/nw/centos/nwaf-release-centos-8-1-6.noarch.rpm
# dnf update
# dnf install python3 nginx python3-pip python3-devel postgresql-devel gcc
# dnf install nwaf-api

For security it is recommended to allow requests to Nemesida WAF API from servers with Nemesida WAF, Nemesida AI and Nemesida WAF Scanner only.

Install and configure the PostgreSQL:

# dnf install  postgresql-server
# postgresql-setup initdb
# sed -i "s|host    all             all             127.0.0.1/32            ident|host    all             all             127.0.0.1/32            md5|" /var/lib/pgsql/data/pg_hba.conf
# sed -i "s|host    all             all             ::1/128                 ident|host    all             all             ::1/128                 md5|" /var/lib/pgsql/data/pg_hba.conf
# systemctl start postgresql
# systemctl enable postgresql

3. Create a database structure:

# cat /var/www/nw-api/api.sql | su postgres -c "psql waf"

Make the necessary changes to the /var/www/nw-api/settings.py file to connect to the PostgreSQL, where:
DB_HOST – is the Database address;
DB_PASS – is the nw_api user password specified in claim 1 for connecting to the Database;
PROXY – proxy server address (if used) to connect to nemesida-secuirty.com.

4. Restart the server and test the module:

# systemctl status nw-api

Nemesida WAF API integration

To integrate the Nemesida WAF API with the Nemesida WAF software, follow these steps:

1. On the server with the Nemesida WAF module installed, change the configuration file /etc/nginx/nwaf/conf/global/nwaf.conf, bring the parameter to the form:

nwaf_api_conf host=http://nwaf-api.example.com:8080 ...

where nwaf-api.example.com:8080 is the address and port of the server where the Nemesida WAF API module is installed.

2. On the server with the Nemesida AI MLC module installed, change the configuration file /opt/mlc/mlc.conf, bring the parameter to the form:

api_host = http://nwaf-api.example.com:8080/

3. After making changes, you must restart the services or restart the server.

Other information

During the Nemesida WAF API operation the information about errors is contained in the run-time journals of the module /var/log/uwsgi/app/*.log.

Nemesida WAF API database structure

Information about events entering the Nemesida WAF API module is placed in the waf database in the attack, ml and scan_report tables.

attack

The attack table is intended for placement in the DBMS of information on the detected anomalies of the operation of the Nemesida WAF and Nemesida AI modules.

Parameter	Description
timestamp	Date of the anomaly fixation.
ip	Address of the request source.
rule_id	The identifier of the rule used to fix the anomaly.
bt	Digital ID of the method for determining anomalies (signature analysis, machine learning, etc.).
mz	Anomaly area (URL, Args, Body, etc.).
method	Type of HTTP request (GET, POST и etc).
uri	Request URI.
ua referer cookie	HTTP request headers.
vhost	Virtual host’s address
content	Body request or a content of other headers (depends on the content of `mz`).
bot	Reserved parameter.
description	Description of the anomaly.
lm	A parameter that determines whether the request is subject to the LM mode.
waf_id	Identifier of the module Nemesida WAF.
request_id	Request ID.

Table ml is intended for placing in the DBMS information about the training status of the Nemesida AI module.

Parameter	Description
waf_id	Identifier of the module Nemesida WAF.
ml_status	The status of the work of the module Nemesida AI (`0` – not active, `1` – active).
ml_learning_progress	The training status of the module Nemesida AI in percent.
vhost	Virtual host.

scan_report

The scan_report table is intended for placing in the DBMS information about the status of the work of the Nemesida WAF Scanner module.

Parameter	Description
id	Record ID.
scan_date	Scan date.
content	Critical level of the detected vulnerability.
domain	Virtual host.
method	Type of HTTP request (GET, POST, etc.).
param	Query arguments.
payload	The content of the payload request.
type	The type of vulnerability detected (SQLi, XSS, etc.).
url	Request URI.
data	Request body (for POST requests).
waf_id	Identifier of the module Nemesida WAF.