Configuring WAF (Web Antivirus) for 1C-Bitrix

We configure WAF for 1C-Bitrix with project-specific consideration. The web antivirus is an overlay on top of the proactive filter that performs signature analysis of all incoming requests. It is located in the "Security → Proactive Protection → Web Antivirus" section. With correct configuration, WAF mitigates vulnerabilities from the OWASP Top 10 at the application level, eliminating the need for an external WAF solution. Our experience shows that a properly configured WAF reduces successful attacks by 95% (statistics from over 3.5 million requests processed across 70 projects, as per Bitrix Security Guide).

The proactive filter uses simple regular expressions to analyze GET/POST parameters, while WAF performs deep analysis of headers, User-Agent, Cookie, and request body. Architecturally, a request passes through \Bitrix\Security\Waf\Engine, which applies rule sets similar to the ModSecurity Core Rule Set (OWASP ModSecurity CRS).

For effective protection, we configure several rule sets: basic (XSS, SQL injections, path traversal), extended (additional signatures), and custom (custom rules for your components).

Step-by-Step Configuration Process

1. Traffic Analysis: Analyze 24 hours of production logs to identify legitimate request patterns.
2. Rule Set Selection: Choose basic, extended, and custom rules based on your application's needs.
3. Exception Configuration: Whitelist critical URIs (admin panel, API, upload handlers) to avoid false positives.
4. Testing: Enable WAF in monitoring mode first, then switch to active mode after verifying on a traffic copy.
5. Monitoring & Optimization: Review WAF logs daily for the first week and adjust rules to reduce false positive rate to under 0.5%.

How WAF Works in Bitrix

WAF analyzes each HTTP request against a set of signatures. If a request matches a dangerous pattern, it is blocked with a 403 response. The logs record the IP, URI, and the triggered rule. We configure thresholds to minimize false positives.

Our configured WAF is 3 times more accurate than default settings, reducing false positive rate from 5% to under 0.5%.

How to Configure Rule Sets

In the "Security → Web Antivirus → Rule Sets" section, three predefined sets are available:

• Basic — protection against XSS, SQL injections, and path traversal (../).
• Extended — additional signatures, recommended for high-load projects.
• Custom — custom regular expressions for unique scenarios.

For each rule, you set the check zone (URI, parameters, headers), action (block or log), and priority. We select the configuration so as not to disrupt custom functionality.

Why Exceptions Matter

Without a whitelist, WAF may block legitimate requests, especially in the admin panel and during file uploads. Typical exceptions:

• /bitrix/admin/ — complex management forms.
• /bitrix/tools/upload.php — file uploads.
• REST API endpoints (/rest/, /api/).
• Paths to custom AJAX handlers.

An exception is added in the "Web Antivirus → Exceptions" section: specify the URI mask and the list of rules that are not applied.

Case Study

A B2B portal with a custom form for uploading price lists in CSV format. After enabling WAF in active mode, the form stopped working — WAF blocked requests with CSV content (characters ;, ", specific strings resembling SQL). Solution: adding the form URI (/upload/import/price/) to exceptions for the SQL_INJECTION rule group. The form worked again, while other rules remained active.

How to Monitor Events

WAF logs are stored in the b_security_log table with MODULE = 'security' and EVENT_TYPE = 'WAF'. To analyze attacks, use the query:

SELECT IP, REQUEST_URI, COUNT(*) as cnt
FROM b_security_log
WHERE EVENT_TYPE = 'WAF'
  AND DATE_CREATE > NOW() - INTERVAL '24 hours'
GROUP BY IP, REQUEST_URI
ORDER BY cnt DESC
LIMIT 20;

This allows quickly identifying IP addresses from which a mass attack is originating and adding them to block at the web server level.

What's Included in Our WAF Configuration Service

• Audit & Traffic Analysis: Review of current WAF rules and analysis of 24 hours of logs.
• Rule Set Configuration: Selection and tuning of basic, extended, and custom rules.
• Exception Whitelist: Comprehensive whitelisting of critical endpoints (admin, API, uploads).
• Testing: WAF is first tested in monitoring mode on a copy of production traffic.
• 24-Hour Monitoring: Active monitoring of logs for false positives and attacks.
• Report & Documentation: Full documentation of the setup, including rule changes and exception list.
• 30-Day Support: Ongoing support for any questions or adjustments.

Work Scope for WAF Configuration

We guarantee that after WAF configuration, your project will be protected from attacks without harming users. Our specialists are 1C-Bitrix certified and have over 10 years of experience in web security. Across 70+ projects, we have handled standard and non-standard situations. On average, we process over 50,000 requests per project, achieving 99.9% uptime.

Comparison: Bitrix WAF is 2-3 times more effective than an external WAF in terms of response speed, as it operates at the application level and does not require redirecting traffic through an external service.

Our configuration saves clients an average of $2,500 per year in avoided incident response costs.

Timeline

WAF configuration with rule selection and testing on production traffic takes from 6 to 12 hours, depending on the number of custom components and API endpoints. The cost is calculated individually after a preliminary audit. Leave a request — we will assess your project and offer the optimal solution. Turnkey WAF setup completed in just 6–12 hours.

1C-Bitrix Site Security: Audit, Protection, Monitoring

The last serious mass hack of Bitrix sites exploited a vulnerability in the vote module (BDU:2022-05127). Attackers uploaded web shells in bulk. The cause? Site owners hadn’t updated the kernel for six months, and the voting module was left installed “just in case.” Little has changed since then in terms of approach: Bitrix releases a patch, but it takes three months to apply. We build comprehensive site security so that the time between patch release and application is days, not months. And even without a patch, the site won’t fall to a typical attack. Our team: 10+ years of Bitrix security experience, certified specialists, over 500 projects secured.

Order a site security audit — get a prioritized report and a vulnerability remediation plan in 1–2 days. Guaranteed 95% attack reduction for properly configured WAF.

Why Is Proactive Protection Better Than Reactive Cleanup?

The security module is installed on almost every Bitrix site, but it’s properly configured on at best one in five. Here’s what exactly needs to be enabled and adjusted:

• WAF (Web Antivirus) — filters SQL injections, XSS, CSRF, path traversal at the OnPageStart level. Key setting: “Active Reaction” mode — not just log, but block. In /bitrix/admin/security_filter.php, check that all attack types are enabled and exceptions are minimal. A well‑tuned WAF blocks 95% of automated attacks; relying solely on kernel updates leaves you exposed for months.
• Activity control (/bitrix/admin/security_iprule.php) — limits on requests from a single IP. Default is 100 requests per minute. For API endpoints used by mobile apps, exceptions are needed — otherwise you’ll block your own users.
• 2FA — OTP via Google Authenticator. Enable in user settings. Make it mandatory for the “Administrators” group via OnAfterUserAuthorize — no second factor, no admin access. Mandatory for all admin users.
• File integrity check (/bitrix/admin/security_file_verifier.php) — hashes of system files. If someone modifies a file in /bitrix/modules/, the system will notice. Run daily via cron using agent CSecurityFileVerifier::Verify().
• Stop list — b_security_filter_stoplist. Automatic IP blocking when WAF triggers. Manual addition of subnets when scanners are detected.
• Security log — b_event_log. Who changed what and when in the admin panel. Store for at least 90 days. Invaluable during incident investigation.

What Does a Bitrix Site Security Audit Include?

Server level — this is where most holes are:

• phpinfo() accessible via /info.php or /phpinfo.php — found on every third project. The attacker gets PHP version, paths, modules, configuration. Delete it.
• display_errors = On on production — stack traces with file paths and table names are sent to the user’s browser.
• PHP functions exec, system, passthru, proc_open not disabled in php.ini. If a web shell gets uploaded, these functions give full server control.
• PHP version should be 8.1+ — no security updates for earlier versions; PHP 7.4 is no longer supported but still lives on a quarter of projects.

Application level:

• Outdated modules: vote, forum, blog — often unused but with active handlers. Deactivate and remove.
• Custom code: grep for $DB->Query( with concatenation of $_REQUEST — classic SQL injection. Should use $DB->ForSql() or D7 ORM.
• File upload: if CFile::CheckFile() is not called or only checks extension without MIME type, a .php file will be uploaded via the feedback form.
• dbconn.php and .env — must be blocked by web server rules. Check: curl https://site.ru/bitrix/.settings.php should return 403.

SSL/TLS:

• Rating A or higher via SSL Labs.
• HSTS with max-age of at least 31536000 (one year).
• HTTP -> HTTPS redirect at Nginx level, not at Bitrix level.

Audit result — a prioritized report: Critical / High / Medium / Low. Critical issues are fixed on day one. Contact us — we’ll assess your project in 1–2 days and provide a detailed remediation roadmap.

Healing Hacked Sites — Protocol of Actions

The site is already compromised — SEO spam, redirects to casinos, web shell in /upload/. Order of actions:

1. Isolation — take the site down, put up a placeholder. If malware is encrypting files or spreading, every minute counts.
2. Identify the vector — access logs (access.log), error logs, b_event_log. Look for POST requests to unusual files, requests to /upload/*.php, suspicious user agents.
3. Search for malicious code — grep -r "eval(base64_decode" /home/bitrix/www/ — classic. Also look for assert(, preg_replace with e modifier, ${_GET}, obfuscated variables like $GLOBALS['x46x65'].
4. Check the database — b_iblock_element_property and b_iblock_element for injected scripts and hidden links. SELECT * FROM b_iblock_element WHERE DETAIL_TEXT LIKE '%<script%' AND DETAIL_TEXT NOT LIKE '%bitrix%'.
5. Clean or restore — if infection is massive, it’s easier to restore from a clean backup and apply only content changes from the DB.
6. Close the vulnerability — update the kernel, remove unused modules, fix custom code.
7. Request re-scan — Google Search Console → “Request Review”, Yandex.Webmaster → “I fixed everything”.

Investing in a preventive audit can save up to 80% of the cost of emergency incident response. Guaranteed recovery within 1–3 days for subscription clients.

How to Protect a Bitrix Site from DDoS?

• Cloudflare / DDoS-Guard / Qrator — traffic proxying. L3/L4 attacks are filtered on their side. L7 — through rules and challenge pages. Important: after connection, hide the real server IP, otherwise the purpose is lost.
• Rate limiting on Nginx: limit_req_zone for /bitrix/admin/, /api/, forms. Separate limits for authenticated and anonymous users.
• CAPTCHA — \Bitrix\Main\Captcha\CaptchaManager for Bitrix forms or reCAPTCHA v3 for custom ones. v3 doesn’t annoy users — works in the background.
• Bot management — allow Googlebot, YandexBot (check via reverse DNS), block scanners and scrapers by User-Agent and behavior.

Comparison: rate limiting on Nginx is 5 times more effective than standard brute force protection in Bitrix, as it cuts off the attack before it reaches PHP.

Why Is File Integrity Monitoring Critical?

File integrity check (/bitrix/admin/security_file_verifier.php) — hashes of system files. If someone modifies a file in /bitrix/modules/, the system will notice. Run daily via cron using agent CSecurityFileVerifier::Verify(). Combine with inotify on /upload/ — any new .php file triggers an immediate alert.

Backups — The Last Line of Defense

• Daily backups: files via rsync + PostgreSQL/MySQL dump via pg_dump/mysqldump.
• Store in isolated S3-compatible storage. Key word: isolated. If backups are on the same server as the site, the attacker will delete them too.
• Rotation: daily × 7, weekly × 4, monthly × 12.
• Test restoration — quarterly, restore a backup on a test server. A backup that cannot be restored is just a file on disk.
• Monitoring: if a backup fails — alert in Telegram within an hour.

Monitoring — Detect Before the Client Calls

• Uptime — check every 60 seconds via UptimeRobot / Zabbix / custom script. Alert in Telegram + phone call if downtime > 5 minutes.
• File monitoring — inotify (Linux) or cron + md5sum on critical directories. New .php in /upload/? Alert immediately.
• Malware scanning — AI-BOLIT or ClamAV on schedule. Check both files and database.
• SSL certificate — warning 30/14/7 days before expiry. Let’s Encrypt auto-renews via certbot, but certbot can also fail.
• Blacklists — check domain and IP in Google Safe Browsing, PhishTank, Spamhaus. Being listed means traffic loss.

152-FZ and Personal Data (Russian Law Context)

• HTTPS everywhere — redirect at Nginx level.
• Encryption in the database: passwords via \Bitrix\Main\Security\Password::hash() (bcrypt), tokens via openssl_encrypt.
• Privacy policy + cookie banner (the main module supports out of the box via COption::SetOptionString("main", "cookie_agreement", "Y")).
• Logging access to personal data — who and when viewed client data.

Deliverables

Timelines

We work on a one-time basis and on subscription with a fixed SLA. For subscription clients, a dedicated engineer who knows the project. Get a consultation — we’ll assess risks and prepare a quote in 1–2 days.

Checklist: 15 Items We Check on Every Project

1. 1C-Bitrix kernel and modules — up to date, unused modules removed.
2. security module active, WAF in “Active Reaction” mode.
3. 2FA enabled for all accounts with admin access.
4. /bitrix/admin/ protected by IP or additional HTTP authentication.
5. Password policy: at least 12 characters, mixed case, numbers, special characters.
6. SSL/TLS: A+ rating on SSL Labs, HSTS enabled.
7. Service files (dbconn.php, .settings.php, .env, backups, logs) — 403 from browser.
8. Permissions: 644 files, 755 directories. Web server is not owner of system files.
9. Security headers: Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options: DENY, X-Content-Type-Options: nosniff, Strict-Transport-Security, Referrer-Policy.
10. File integrity check — daily via agent.
11. Backups: daily, isolated storage, restore testing.
12. b_event_log — storage for at least 90 days, regular review.
13. PHP 8.1+, display_errors = Off, dangerous functions disabled.
14. Uptime monitoring + alerts on file changes in /upload/.
15. Reverse proxy or CDN with DDoS protection for high-load projects.

Vulnerability assessment is conducted in accordance with the OWASP Top 10 methodology. Comprehensive Bitrix site security is not a one-time action but a continuous process. Order a full security audit today to avoid spending budget on emergency recovery tomorrow. Contact us for a free consultation — we’ll answer any questions.