Guides
Plain-English WAF explainers for campus and agency teams. Start with count mode, then operate without breaking forms.
Getting started
Free website security scan: what the grade means
Free website security scan with no signup: what the WAF scan report grade checks, how to read an F, and the Protect {domain} path to a 14-day trial.
What is WAF count mode? (and why you start there)
Count mode lets campus and agency teams put a WAF in front of production without blocking real users on day one — observe ~24 hours, then promote what's safe to block.
What is Promote Copilot?
Promote Copilot is the AI layer on ProtectMyWebsite count mode: Promote, Hold, or Needs allowlist in plain English — you still click. Not an auto-block LLM firewall.
What's safe to block on a WAF?
Learn what's safe to block on a managed WAF. Rules start in count; Promote Copilot explains Promote, Hold, or Needs allowlist — you still click once.
Managed WAF setup: DNS cutover to count mode
Managed WAF setup for campus and agency teams: what one DNS change means, CNAME vs apex, SSL, count mode day 0–24, and how long go-live actually takes.
Concierge DNS: We Point Your Site at the Managed WAF
Concierge DNS WAF setup for campus and agency teams who won’t touch DNS — we coordinate cutover (~one business day), CNAME vs nameserver, SSL handled, then count → promote.
Concepts & decisions
DIY WAF vs managed: console burden or operator?
DIY WAF vs managed for campus and agency teams. When console burden wins — and when managed WAF pricing is worth it vs running your own.
Managed WAF pricing: is $150/site worth it?
Honest managed WAF pricing guide: what $150/site/month includes, DIY people-cost vs fully managed WAF $150, and when campus teams should Talk to sales.
Refer a Friend: 10% Off Managed WAF for Both of You
ProtectMyWebsite refer-a-friend: both sides get 10% off managed WAF for 3 months when your friend completes Checkout. Find your link, share your code, start a trial.
Operations & false positives
Campus DDoS response: keep .edu sites up under flood
Campus DDoS response for .edu and agency sites — first-hour playbook, origin IP lock-down, count→promote during recovery, and status/comms when the flood hits.
Hide your origin IP behind a WAF (and allowlist edge IPs only)
Origin IP bypass DDoS walks around your edge. Hide the origin IP behind a WAF and allowlist edge IPs only — the durable fix for campus and agency sites.
WAF false positives on forms: stop blocking legitimate POSTs
Why WAFs block registration, admissions, and government forms — multipart uploads, CSRF tokens, odd field names, payment callbacks — and how count-first stopping of false positives works.
WAF for donation and payment forms without blocking gifts
Donation form WAF false positives, university payment portal firewall, and giving day website WAF — count-first so payment callbacks and alumni gifts don’t break; bot stuffing on donate endpoints.
WAF SSO false positives: keep campus logins working
WAF SSO false positives, IdP callbacks blocked by WAF, and SAML CAS OIDC allowlists — count first so Monday login storms don’t brick university and agency SSO.
WAF bot management for campus and agency sites
WAF bot management for campuses and agencies — stop scrapers, admissions form spam, and credential stuffing without day-one false positives. Count → promote.
Virtual patching websites with a managed WAF
Virtual patching at the edge buys time before CMS updates land. Managed WAF rules start in count; promote what's safe to block — Copilot explains, you click.
Emergency virtual patching when a CMS CVE drops
Friday CMS CVE? Put an emergency virtual patch at the edge in count first, then promote what's safe while WordPress and Drupal teams patch. Copilot explains — you click.
What a WAF 403 page means (and why you start in count)
A branded 403 is what visitors see after you promote a rule to block. Count mode comes first. Promote Copilot explains what's safe — you still click once.
Platforms
Managed WAF for WordPress without a plugin
Edge-managed WAF for WordPress — no security plugin. Cover campus departmental sites, plugin lag, and upload/form abuse with count → promote.
Managed WAF for WordPress Multisite campus networks
WordPress multisite WAF for campus networks — one edge for many blogs, plugin lag on subsites, shared origin risks. Count → promote; no plugin on every site.
Managed WAF for Shopify without app spam
Edge-managed WAF for Shopify — no security app. Cover custom and headless storefronts, marketing domains you control, and cart/checkout Ajax with count → promote.
Managed WAF for Magento without an extension
Edge-managed WAF for Magento and Adobe Commerce — no security extension. Cover campus bookstores, StyleSmuggler-class zero-days, and payment paths with count → promote.
Managed WAF for Drupal without a module
Edge-managed WAF for Drupal — no security module. Cover campus multi-site estates, contrib lag, and virtual patch XSS with count → promote.
Managed WAF for Drupal Multisite campus estates
Drupal multisite WAF for campus and agency estates — one edge for many sites, contrib lag, form POSTs. Count → promote; no security module on every site.
Public sector
Managed WAF for government websites
City website firewall for permits, benefits, and FOIA. How a managed WAF for government websites handles public sector WAF false positives and origin IP lock-down — count first, then promote.
Stop Agency Website Defacement with a Managed Edge WAF
Government website defacement protection — agency homepage hacked WAF, public sector website takeover prevention, city website defacement firewall. Edge shield, origin hide, count → promote.
WAF for FOIA and Public Records Portals
FOIA portal WAF and public records request form security — count-first so citizens aren’t blocked; scrapers and queue floods stop at the edge.
Managed WAF for higher education websites
Managed WAF for higher education — university website firewall, college website WAF, campus managed WAF. Count → promote; admissions forms stay up.
Managed WAF for multi-site campus and agency estates
Managed WAF for multiple websites — campus website estate firewall, multi-site WAF one team, agency multi-domain WAF, Campus Estate WAF. Count → promote.
WAF for student portals without breaking SSO
WAF for student portals without breaking SSO — count-first SIS, LMS, and IdP callbacks. Stop login stuffing; keep real students. Count → promote.
WAF for campus LMS sites without breaking courses
Canvas WAF, Moodle WAF, and LMS behind managed WAF — protect course sites from bots and probes without false positives on uploads, quiz POSTs, or LTI/SSO callbacks.
WAF for athletics, news, and campus microsites
Athletics website WAF, university news site firewall, and campus microsite WAF — count → promote for tickets, donations, and game-day traffic without breaking forms.
Security basics
What is a WAF (Web Application Firewall)?
A plain-English explanation of what a web application firewall (WAF) is, what it protects against, and how a managed WAF works.
The OWASP Top 10, explained simply
A simple explanation of the OWASP Top 10 web application risks and how a web application firewall mitigates them.
HTTP security headers, explained
What the important HTTP security headers do — HSTS, Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, and more — and why they matter.