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Virtual Patching

The Challenge

Critical security vulnerabilities emerge constantly in application code, frameworks, and dependencies. When zero-day vulnerabilities like Log4Shell are disclosed, businesses face an impossible choice: rush to deploy untested patches and risk breaking production systems, or remain vulnerable to active exploitation while developing proper fixes. Traditional patching approaches require code changes, testing cycles, and deployment windows that can take days or weeks.

The OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities—including SQL injection, cross-site scripting, and insecure deserialization—represent fundamental security flaws that attackers exploit relentlessly. Even with secure development practices, complex applications inevitably contain vulnerabilities that security scanners discover or penetration testers identify. Each finding triggers an urgent remediation cycle that diverts engineering resources from feature development.

The business impact of unpatched vulnerabilities is severe. Active exploitation leads to data breaches, regulatory fines, and reputational damage. Security audit findings block enterprise sales and compliance certifications. Emergency patching disrupts development roadmaps and creates technical debt. Meanwhile, attackers have automated tools that scan the internet continuously, exploiting known vulnerabilities within hours of public disclosure.

How Expedited Security Helps

Expedited Security provides virtual patching that blocks exploit attempts at the application edge, before malicious requests reach your code. When vulnerabilities are discovered, implement protective rules immediately through our dashboard—no code changes, no deployments, no testing cycles required. This buys time to develop, test, and deploy proper fixes according to your normal development process.

Key Features

  • OWASP Top 10 Protection: Pre-configured rules detect and block common attack patterns including SQL injection, XSS, command injection, and path traversal attempts without requiring application modifications.

  • Zero-Day Vulnerability Shields: Deploy protective rules for newly disclosed vulnerabilities like Log4Shell within minutes, blocking exploitation attempts while your team develops and tests permanent patches.

  • Custom Attack Signatures: Create tailored virtual patches for application-specific vulnerabilities discovered during security assessments, blocking exploit attempts based on request patterns unique to your code.

  • Rule Testing and Monitoring: Test virtual patches in monitor-only mode before enforcement, ensuring they block attacks without creating false positives that affect legitimate functionality.

Benefits

  • Respond to zero-day vulnerabilities immediately with protective rules deployed in minutes instead of days
  • Maintain security during extended patching cycles for complex vulnerabilities requiring significant code changes
  • Pass security audits by demonstrating compensating controls for known vulnerabilities awaiting permanent fixes
  • Reduce emergency patching pressure on engineering teams, allowing proper testing and quality assurance

Implementation

For Heroku Applications

Expedited Security’s virtual patching operates at the edge before requests reach your Heroku dynos, analyzing traffic for exploit patterns and blocking attacks based on your configured rules. When a vulnerability is disclosed, deploy protective virtual patches through our dashboard without touching your application code.

Implementation is immediate: add rules through our web interface, test them in monitor mode to verify they catch real attacks without blocking legitimate traffic, then enable enforcement mode to actively block exploits. Rules take effect globally within seconds, protecting all your application endpoints simultaneously.

Step-by-Step Guides:

For Other Platforms

Expedited Security provides virtual patching for applications on any infrastructure. Our edge protection works with AWS, Google Cloud, Azure, Kubernetes, and self-hosted environments. Contact our team to discuss protecting your specific technology stack.

Build comprehensive vulnerability protection with these complementary measures:

Get Started

Stop racing against attackers when vulnerabilities are disclosed. Schedule a demo to see virtual patching in action, or start protecting your application immediately with our self-service option.

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