Progress enhances LoadMaster 360 with AI-driven security upgrades

Progress has announced enhancements to its cloud-based unified application delivery platform, LoadMaster 360. The upgrades aim to provide organisations with improved capabilities to secure their web applications against sophisticated cyberattacks. The upgraded features use artificial intelligence to enhance security while optimising application performance.

Web applications continue to be attractive targets for cybercriminals, who exploit vulnerabilities to gain unauthorised access to sensitive information. Organisations face the challenge of balancing the need to enable all Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP)--based Web Application Firewall (WAF) filters, which may inadvertently block legitimate users, and disabling them, which leaves applications vulnerable. LoadMaster 360 addresses this by offering precise WAF configuration and tuning based on smart traffic analysis.

Sundar Subramanian, EVP and General Manager of Infrastructure Management at Progress, highlighted the importance of such advancements. "To address the complexity of today’s evolving web-based threats, infrastructure teams need intelligent and advanced technology that can precisely filter, monitor, and block malicious traffic without impacting operations," he said.

"With today’s release of LoadMaster 360, we are giving our customers powerful technology, which, when combined with other application security capabilities such as single sign-on and pre-authentication, can help them combat cyberthreats and maintain their application performance."

The enhanced features in LoadMaster 360 focus on providing better security insights and minimising the time required for WAF configuration and tuning. Key enhancements include intelligent AI-driven false positive identification and smart rule tuning, which help users more easily secure their applications by distinguishing legitimate traffic from potential threats. Identifying false positives can be a particularly challenging and time-consuming task, especially for those with limited expertise in security.

Progress asserts that with access to detailed data in LoadMaster 360, users can configure and customise WAF technology with greater ease and identify potential security issues promptly. The platform's combination of load balancing, WAF protection, monitoring, and tuning equips users with the tools needed to maintain an optimal application performance experience.

Subramanian explained, "Identifying attacks from false positives is a challenging and time-consuming effort, especially for non-security experts. With access to detailed data in LoadMaster 360, they can more easily configure and customise the LoadMaster WAF technology and quickly identify a potential security issue only when it occurs." He added that the platform affords users control over their application delivery, positively impacting end-user experiences.

As a cloud service, LoadMaster 360 provides a unified interface to manage application delivery performance, security, and configuration, offering organisations of all sizes the controls and insights necessary to maintain optimised application operations. The platform's capabilities are designed to offer an optimal application experience for users, enhancing both the security and performance of web applications.