Setup and Installation of Zen Firewall for Dotnet

This guide will walk you through installing and setting up Zen Firewall by Aikido for your application. Follow the steps below to protect your application.

We have first class support for multiple frameworks and database drivers, for the full list check our README on GitHub.

1. Install Zen by Aikido

Zen Firewall for Dotnet comes as a NuGet packages for Core and Framework that need to be installed together with your code so your application can be protected.

Dotnet Core

Install the package from NuGet:

dotnet add package Aikido.Zen.DotNetCore

Dotnet Framework

Install the package from NuGet:

dotnet add package Zen.Aikido.DotNetFramework

or

Install-Package Zen.Aikido.DotNetFramework

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Configure your application to initiate the Zen firewall.

Dotnet Core

If you are using a startup class, you can add the following to your Startup.cs file:

public void ConfigureServices(IServiceCollection services)
{
    // other services
    services.AddZenFirewall(Configuration);
    // other services
}

public void Configure(IApplicationBuilder app)
{
    // other middleware
    app.UseZenFirewall(); // place this after userouting, or after authorization, but high enough in the pipeline to catch all requests
    // other middleware
}

Dotnet Framework

1. Open your Web.config file.

2. Locate the <appSettings> section.

3. Add the following key-value pair within the <appSettings> section:<add key="Aikido:AikidoToken" value="your-api-key" />

4. In your Global.asax.cs file, add the following:

protected void Application_Start()
{
    // other code
    Zen.Start();
}

# If you are using OWIN, you can add the following to your Startup.cs file:
public void Configuration(IAppBuilder app)
{
    // other code
    Zen.Start();
}

2. Create an app in the dashboard and generate a token

1. Go to the Zen section in Aikido.

2. Click on Add app.

3. Choose a name for your app and click Generate token.

4. Copy the generated token.

3. Start Zen Firewall in dry / detection-only mode

Set the token as an environment variable, in appsettings.json or Web.config appSettings depending on your environment.

appsettings.json

{
  "Aikido": {
    "AikidoToken": "your-api-key"
  }
}

Web.config

<appSettings>
    ...
    <add key="Aikido:AikidoToken" value="your-api-key" />
    ...
</appSettings>

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Start your app in dry mode AIKIDO_BLOCK=false to ensure it works as expected without blocking any requests:

Tip: You can use AIKIDO_DEBUG=true to enable debug mode (To verify that you set AIKIDO_TOKEN correctly)

4. Test your app

Browse to your application and perform a couple of actions or open a couple of pages. Zen will automatically discover the routes in your application.

5. Enable Rate limiting and User blocking

Enable additional features like Rate limiting and User blocking from within your code. Check out these examples below. Keep in mind that your specific setup might need adjustments based on your framework and configuration.

Dotnet Core

.UseRouting()
.Use((context, next) =>
{
    // Identify users to the Zen platform
    var id = context.User?.Identity?.Name ?? "-1";
    var name = context.User?.Identity?.Name ?? "Anonymous";
    if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(id))
        Zen.SetUser(id, name, context);
    return next();
})
.UseZenFireWall()

Dotnet Framework

In your global.asax.cs file

public void Application_Start()
{
    // ...
    Zen.SetUser(context => new User(context.User.Identity.Name, context.User.Identity.Name));
    Zen.Start();
}

If you're using OWIN, add the following to your Startup.cs file:

public void Configuration(IAppBuilder app)
{
    // ...
    Zen.SetUser(context => new User(context.User.Identity.Name, context.User.Identity.Name));
    Zen.Start();
}

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6. Setup rate limiting in the dashboard

If you've added the rate-limiting feature, you can test it out by logging in to your Aikido account and navigating to the Zen dashboard. Click on the created app and check the Events tab to verify that a “started” event was recorded:

To protect a route from brute force attacks, set up rate limiting in the Aikido Dashboard:

1. Click on the created app.

2. Go to the Routes tab.

3. Find the route you would like to limit and click Setup rate limiting.

4. Follow the instructions to configure the rate limit (e.g., 5 requests per minute).

7. Verify Rate Limiting

Start your app and try to access the route you've rate limited 5 times within a minute. After the fifth attempt, you should receive a rate limit error:

You are rate limited by Aikido firewall. (Your IP: 1.2.3.4)