Demystifying SWG: Understanding Secure Web Gateways in Cybersecurity

A secure web gateway (SWG) combines URL filtering, SSL inspection, malware scanning, and more to defend users from threats and enforce acceptable use policies. It also helps organizations comply with industry regulations and safeguard data against unauthorized sensitive data uploads.

Traditional infrastructure backhauls web traffic to a central data center for security, slowing web traffic and creating poor user experiences in low bandwidth locations. An SWG reduces the need to backhaul, allowing for a faster and more secure experience.

URL Filtering

URL filtering compares a web address carried in a traffic request with entries in a database to determine whether the device should allow or deny access. This is a standard method to control website access that may distract employees or be used by cybercriminals in malware attacks, such as phishing or meddler-in-the-middle attacks.

It also restricts access to sites considered inappropriate for the workplace, such as online games or video streaming, which can derail employee productivity and create a security risk. This can help ensure compliance with regulatory and acceptable use policies.

The gateway can also use an allowlist and blocklist to define rules for which traffic to permit or block, such as blocking all websites that include the word “game” to prevent time theft or blocking all sites known to host malware or phishing pages. Most SWGs are cloud-based, which reduces upfront costs and improves uptime, as the service provider’s data centers host the filtering mechanisms and operate automatically on users’ devices. Similarly, some SWGs decrypt HTTPS traffic to scan it for malicious code and can even execute potentially harmful code in controlled environments (sandboxing) to test for it.

Malware Scanning

SWGs perform a vital role in cybersecurity by filtering malware from outbound web traffic and preventing data breaches. This is especially helpful when an organization has a remote workforce and cannot directly control the devices they use or the networks they connect to.

Cybersecurity professionals often encounter various acronyms in their field, and understanding their meanings is essential; one common query is: What is SWG in cybersecurity? It refers to Secure Web Gateway, a critical component in safeguarding networks from online threats.

SWG security tools use databases of known malicious sites to block outbound traffic based on patterns. This protects against malware that tries to call home, download payloads, and wreak havoc on the network.

Some gateways can inspect outbound web page content in real-time for malicious code, remove the offending code, and deliver a clean page to users. This prevents hackers from hijacking web pages and keeps malware from exploiting users or stealing data.

Since most Internet-based attacks are delivered via email or on the web, a secure web gateway can help reduce the threat of data breaches. SWGs can also enforce policies around what, when, where, and how users access the web – including restrictions based on time, usage quotas, device type, and application.

Caching

An SWG is an intermediary whenever a user tries connecting to Internet resources. It authenticates and examines the request, ensuring it doesn’t violate acceptable use policies. The gateway also examines outgoing data, ensuring that it’s safe for the organization to download before allowing it.

Many cyberattacks take the form of online pop-ups or phony websites that look remarkably similar to the real thing. These prompts lull users into trusting them, urging them to share their login credentials or download a file. An SWG can stop these attacks before they cause harm, protecting your organization from data loss and financial ruin.

Many SWG solutions incorporate sandboxing, which executes code within an isolated environment to determine whether it’s malicious. This feature allows teams to set granular policy restrictions based on user roles, time of day, or the type of web application used. The gateways also enforce security policies at the network edge. They often use a proxy server to provide granular control over what internal users can and cannot access while simultaneously inspecting HTTPS-encrypted data.

Inspection

Inspecting checks traffic to ensure it aligns with an organization’s security policies. SWGs can inspect outgoing and incoming web traffic to protect against cyberattacks from malicious websites, malware, and data exfiltration.

Next-gen SWGs can also identify what applications are being used by remote and distributed workers. This is particularly useful for industries like healthcare or financial services that must comply with regulations on handling sensitive customer data.

With remote work booming, organizations must avoid restricting access to critical business systems or stifling productivity by blocking apps. To mitigate this risk, SWGs can decrypt encrypted traffic – including HTTPS traffic – and send suspicious content to other security technologies for further inspection. Additionally, SWGs can authenticate users and apply access rules based on their identity. When natively integrated within a secure access service edge (SASE) framework, these capabilities can be combined to offer greater visibility and single-pane-of-glass management for easier monitoring and security enforcement. This approach is critical for an overall digital experience and security strategy that supports modern work styles and evolving threats.

Monitoring

With remote work ruling the corporate ecosystem, a SWG enables employees to access the Internet safely. Unlike traditional security endpoint devices, SWGs can enforce policies across a distributed workforce.

By acting as an intermediary between the web server and the user, SWGs can terminate and emulate traffic to protect against data leaks and phishing attacks. Many SWGs also decrypt HTTPS traffic to scan for malware.

SWGs scan network traffic for malware using methods such as sandboxing, which executes potentially malicious code in a controlled environment to see how it behaves. They then use the results of that test to decide whether to block it or to allow it onto the network.

A SWG is often paired with firewalls to create a layered approach to cybersecurity, which can help protect against threats that a single technology may not detect. SWGs can also improve user productivity by blocking unauthorized or unproductive websites, and they can prevent malware infections by blocking downloads from sites that aren’t rated or have suspicious reputations.