In this guest blog post, Srija Reddy Allam, Cloud Security/DevOps Architect, Fortinet, discusses the increase of attacks targeted at web applications and APIs and how FortiAppSec Cloud in Microsoft Marketplace provides a layer of adaptive security to address the challenge.
Picture this: A global e-commerce company is gearing up for its biggest holiday sale of the year. Their storefront and application programming interfaces (APIs) are hosted on Microsoft Azure, taking advantage of the platform’s ability to scale across regions and keep the lights on when traffic skyrockets. Azure does its part by providing a secure, resilient foundation, but, as with any cloud service, it’s the responsibility of the customer to protect their apps and data that sit on top.
When the sale kicks off, traffic pours in. Alongside real shoppers come automated bots trying stolen usernames and passwords on the login page. It’s not an Azure issue; it’s simply the reality of today’s internet, where attackers go after applications directly.
That’s where FortiAppSec Cloud integrated with Azure steps in. FortiAppSec Cloud filters out the noise by blocking credential-stuffing bots, securing APIs, and making sure legitimate customers get through without friction. The company doesn’t have to panic about spinning up extra servers or manually blocking traffic; the defenses scale automatically, right alongside Azure.
The result is shoppers stay online, carts don’t get abandoned, and the brand’s reputation is protected. With Azure as the foundation and FortiAppSec Cloud adding that extra layer of defense, the company can focus on what matters most: giving customers a smooth holiday shopping experience.
Why cloud applications are under siege
Over 70 percent of breaches today involve attacks against web applications or APIs. Azure makes it easier than ever to host, scale, and distribute applications globally, giving organizations the agility they need to innovate. With this expanded reach, however, comes greater visibility to attackers, making it essential to pair the scalability of Azure with robust, adaptive application security.
Attack methods keep evolving:
- SQL injection (SQLi) and cross-site scripting (XSS): Exploiting insecure inputs to inject malicious SQL commands or scripts that steal data or hijack sessions
- Credential stuffing: Automated bots hammering login pages with stolen credentials
- API abuse: Exploiting unsecured API management endpoints
- Advanced bots: Scraping, hoarding inventory, or flooding checkout pages
- Zero-days: Exploiting flaws before patches are released or app updates are applied
Traditional web application firewalls (WAFs) and security appliances can’t keep up in a multi-region and agile-based cloud deployments. A single misconfiguration can create a blind spot big enough for attackers to slip through.
8 ways FortiAppSec Cloud stands out
Fortinet created FortiAppSec Cloud to eliminate complex attacks that target applications and APIs. Delivered as a cloud-native WAF as a service, it integrates seamlessly with Azure environments while protecting applications and APIs globally.
Here are eight ways it stands out for Azure customers:
- Cloud-native WAF: No appliances to deploy, patch, or manage. FortiAppSec Cloud delivers WAF as a service, instantly protecting Azure-hosted web apps and APIs without added infrastructure complexity.
- AI-powered threat detection: Leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML), FortiAppSec Cloud identifies anomalous traffic patterns in real time, helping stop zero-day attacks before they cause downtime in cloud-hosted environments.
- AI-powered security assistant: FortiAI-Assist, built into FortiAppSec Cloud, adds context to every alert by showing which service is affected, indicating how critical it is, and ranking it by real risk. The assistant reduces noise in daily operations by handling alert triage and investigation. It finds anomalies, summarizes logs, and explains findings in plain language. This helps administrators respond faster, make better decisions, and stay focused on the issues that matter most.
- Advanced bot protection: Azure enables businesses to deliver high-performing, customer-facing applications at scale. To strengthen these experiences, FortiAppSec Cloud adds advanced bot mitigation that goes beyond IP blocking, using behavioral analysis and challenge-response techniques to separate human users from malicious automation like credential stuffing, scalper bots, and scrapers.
- API protection: Organizations rely on Azure API Management to securely publish and manage APIs. FortiAppSec Cloud complements this by adding API discovery, schema validation, and OWASP API-based attack prevention, ensuring business-critical APIs remain secure and resilient against evolving threats.
- Global server load balancing (GSLB): The global infrastructure of Azure provides unmatched reach and reliability. FortiAppSec Cloud complements this by offering GSLB capabilities that intelligently route legitimate traffic to the healthiest Azure region, optimizing performance and availability while reinforcing resilience against attacks.
- Threat analytics: Enterprises often deploy workloads across multiple Azure regions for scale and redundancy. FortiAppSec Cloud provides centralized, single-pane-of-glass visibility into attempted attacks, blocked traffic, and compliance reporting, helping teams streamline security operations.
- Easy Microsoft Marketplace deployment: FortiAppSec Cloud is natively available in Microsoft Marketplace and eligible to help companies burn down their committed cloud spending, making it easy for organizations to subscribe, deploy, and integrate. With seamless Azure billing and rapid deployment into existing environments, security and agility go hand in hand.
Get started with a free 30-day trial
Azure enables organizations to move faster, scale globally, and serve customers at digital speed. But cloud adoption also expands the attack surface, putting web applications and APIs at risk.
FortiAppSec Cloud, available through Microsoft Marketplace with a free 30-day trial, addresses this challenge head-on. With AI-powered detection, advanced bot defense, GSLB for Azure global resilience, and unified visibility, it allows organizations to secure Azure-hosted applications without slowing down innovation.
Cloud adoption shouldn’t mean compromising security. With FortiAppSec Cloud on Azure, enterprises can defend their apps against today’s most advanced threats while delivering fast, reliable digital experiences everywhere.
