Monarx vs Zscaler Internet Access (ZIA) WAF

Monarx

Model: Custom (contact sales)

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Zscaler Internet Access (ZIA) WAF

Model: Per user / Annual subscription

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Monarx

• Real-time Filesystem Monitoring

  Monitors file system operations at the server level in real-time. Inspects files as they are being written, catching malware regardless of the delivery vector (HTTP, FTP, SSH, plugin updates).

• Pre-write Malware Blocking

  Blocks malware before it is written to disk, not after. This prevents the malware from ever executing, eliminating the window of compromise that exists with scan-and-clean approaches.

• Vector-agnostic Detection

  Detects malware regardless of how it arrives, whether through web exploits, compromised FTP credentials, malicious plugin updates, or supply chain attacks. Traditional WAFs only see HTTP traffic and miss other vectors.

• Shared Hosting Protection

  Protects all websites on a shared hosting server with a single deployment. No per-site configuration required. Particularly valuable for shared hosting environments where hundreds of sites share the same server.

• Malware Analytics Dashboard

  Dashboard showing malware detection events, trends, and affected accounts. Hosting providers can identify compromised accounts and take targeted action.

• Automatic Signature Updates

  Malware signatures are updated automatically as new threats are identified. The Monarx team maintains and updates the signature database without requiring manual intervention from hosting providers.

• Low Performance Overhead

  Designed to run on production hosting servers without noticeable performance impact. Filesystem-level inspection is lightweight compared to full traffic inspection by traditional WAFs.

• API Integration

  API for integrating Monarx data into hosting provider management systems, ticketing workflows, and customer dashboards. Enables automated responses to malware detection events.

Zscaler Internet Access (ZIA) WAF

• Inline WAF Protection

  Inspects web traffic inline for OWASP Top 10 threats as part of the broader ZIA security stack.

• Full SSL/TLS Inspection

  Decrypts, inspects, and re-encrypts all encrypted traffic at cloud scale without performance degradation.

• AI-Powered Threat Detection

  Machine learning models analyze traffic patterns to detect zero-day threats and advanced attacks.

• Cloud Firewall

  Stateful inspection firewall for all ports and protocols, extending protection beyond HTTP/S traffic.

• Centralized Policy Management

  Single console for global security policy enforcement across 150+ data centers.

• Zero Trust Architecture

  Identity-based access control ensuring users only reach authorized applications regardless of location.