What is SOC 2?
SOC 2 (Service Organization Control 2) is an auditing framework developed by the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) that evaluates how organizations manage customer data. The framework is based on five Trust Service Criteria: Security, Availability, Processing Integrity, Confidentiality, and Privacy.
SOC 2 compliance has become a de facto requirement for SaaS companies selling to enterprises. Without a SOC 2 report, you’ll face extended security questionnaires, lost deals, and exclusion from vendor-approved lists. The audit process typically costs $20,000-$100,000+ and requires demonstrating controls over a 6-12 month observation period.
Who Needs SOC 2 Compliance?
- SaaS companies and cloud service providers
- B2B software platforms
- Data hosting and processing services
- API providers handling customer data
- Any technology vendor selling to enterprise customers
- Startups seeking enterprise contracts or VC funding
How Expedited WAF Helps with SOC 2
Expedited WAF provides security controls that directly address SOC 2 Trust Service Criteria, giving you audit-ready evidence for your SOC 2 report.
CC6.1: Logical Access Controls
SOC 2 requires the organization to implement logical access security software, infrastructure, and architectures to protect information assets.
How Expedited WAF helps:
- IP allowlisting restricts access to authorized networks
- Geo-blocking limits access to appropriate geographic regions
- Rate limiting prevents brute force attacks against authentication
- Authentication layer protection for admin and sensitive endpoints
- Bot detection blocks automated unauthorized access attempts
CC6.6: Security Against External Threats
SOC 2 requires protection against security events that could compromise system security and impact the organization’s ability to meet its objectives.
How Expedited WAF helps:
- Real-time blocking of OWASP Top 10 attacks:
- SQL injection
- Cross-site scripting (XSS)
- Broken access control
- Security misconfigurations
- Injection attacks
- DDoS protection ensures service availability
- Virtual patching provides immediate protection for new vulnerabilities
- Malicious traffic filtering at the network edge
- Anonymous proxy blocking prevents attacks from anonymizing services
CC6.7: Transmission Security
SOC 2 requires the organization to restrict the transmission, movement, and removal of information to authorized internal and external users.
How Expedited WAF helps:
- Enforces TLS 1.2+ on all connections
- Forces HTTPS for all traffic
- Configures security headers including HSTS
- Prevents protocol downgrade attacks
- Secure cipher suite configuration
TLS Requirements: SOC 2 auditors expect TLS 1.2+ as industry best practice. See our TLS configuration guide.
CC7.1: Detection of Security Events
SOC 2 requires procedures to detect actual and potential security events that could affect the organization’s ability to meet its objectives.
How Expedited WAF helps:
- Continuous monitoring of all incoming traffic
- Real-time alerting on attack patterns and anomalies
- Detection of:
- Brute force attempts
- Credential stuffing attacks
- Application-layer attacks
- Suspicious request patterns
- Integration capabilities with SIEM platforms
CC7.2: Monitoring for Anomalies
SOC 2 requires monitoring of system components for anomalies that are indicative of malicious acts.
How Expedited WAF helps:
- Rate limiting identifies unusual traffic patterns
- Bot detection flags automated attack tools
- Geographic anomaly detection for access from unexpected locations
- User agent analysis identifies suspicious clients
- Request pattern analysis detects attack sequences
Audit Evidence Expedited WAF Provides
One of the biggest challenges in SOC 2 is providing evidence to auditors. Expedited WAF gives you ready-made documentation:
| Auditor Request | Evidence Expedited WAF Provides |
|---|---|
| “Show me your firewall configuration” | WAF rule sets and configuration exports |
| “How do you protect against web attacks?” | OWASP Top 10 protection rules and block logs |
| “What encryption do you use in transit?” | TLS configuration and cipher suite settings |
| “How do you detect security events?” | Real-time monitoring dashboards and alert configurations |
| “Show me security event logs” | Comprehensive request and attack logs |
| “How do you handle new vulnerabilities?” | Virtual patching capabilities and rule update history |
SOC 2 Compliance Checklist for Heroku
Use this checklist to prepare your Heroku application for SOC 2 audit:
Security (Common Criteria)
- Enable Expedited WAF for all production applications
- Enable OWASP Top 10 protection - OWASP protection guide
- Configure TLS 1.2+ - TLS configuration guide
- Enable HTTPS redirection - How to force HTTPS
- Configure security headers - Security headers guide
Access Controls
- Implement IP restrictions for administrative endpoints
- Enable rate limiting to prevent brute force attacks
- Block anonymous proxies - Proxy blocking guide
- Enable bot detection - Bot blocking guide
Availability
- Enable DDoS protection - DDoS protection guide
- Configure rate limiting to prevent resource exhaustion
- Enable geographic restrictions if appropriate - Geo-blocking guide
Monitoring and Detection
- Enable comprehensive logging for audit evidence
- Configure security alerts for attack detection
- Set up regular log reviews and retain logs for audit period
- Document security controls for auditor review
Related Resources
- TLS Requirements for SOC 2
- OWASP Top 10 Protection on Heroku
- How to Force HTTPS on Heroku
- Security Headers on Heroku
- DDoS Protection
- Compliance Overview
Get Started
Accelerate your SOC 2 compliance journey with Expedited WAF. Our platform provides the security controls auditors expect, with audit-ready evidence and documentation.