Hello, My name is Chen, and I work as a threat intelligence analyst at Salt Security. Every day, I dive into the complex world of cybersecurity, uncovering the hidden threats that hide in our digital lives. Today, I'd like to take you on a journey through the evolving landscape of API threats. APIs are the quiet helpers of the digital world, allowing software applications to communicate easily with each other.

The prevalence of APIs in today's digital environment is undeniable. They are crucial for modern applications, enabling seamless communication and data exchange between different software components. The rise of AI and machine learning has further accelerated API adoption, not only for accessing data and resources but also for rapid API development and deployment.

The API security landscape is changing rapidly, and cybercriminals are becoming increasingly sophisticated. According to the Salt Labs State of API Security Report 2024, API security incidents have more than doubled in the past 12 months, while API usage is rapidly increasing. Organizations are finding it challenging to keep up with the threats associated with expanding API ecosystems and fully understand their complex behavioral attributes.

As noted in the 2024 Gartner Market Guide for API Protection“API security governance is an emerging capability. It allows the administrator of the tool to define and enforce security policies. Unlike posture management, this is a top-down enforcement. It also allows for compliance reports for specific regulations to be generated automatically.” This capability is becoming increasingly important as organizations face a constantly evolving threat landscape.

APIs are essential for modern applications as they enable seamless communication and data exchange, serving as the foundation of these applications. However, their interconnected nature makes them vulnerable to various threats. The high volume of API calls - ranging from millions to billions every month - poses a challenge in distinguishing between genuine attacks and harmless irregularities.

APIs are increasingly becoming the target of choice for attackers. According to the key findings stated in the 2024 Gartner Market Guide for API Protection, "APIs — especially shadow and dormant ones — are causing data breaches among organizations that, on average, exceed the magnitude of other breaches.

Cross-site scripting (aka XSS) has rightfully claimed its place as one of the most popular web vulnerabilities. Since its first emergence, somewhere in the dark days of the internet, countless vulnerabilities have been found across websites everywhere. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that XSS has been consistently highlighted as a top risk in the OWASP TOP-10 since the list's very first iteration in 2004!

Another day, another API breach in the news. The latest breach occurred on the Life360 platform where an advisory was able to gleam 400k user phone numbers, based on the article written on Bleepingcomputer.com. Known only by their 'emo' handle, they said the unsecured API endpoint used to steal the data provided an easy way to verify each impacted user's email address, name, and phone number.

In the ever-evolving landscape of cybersecurity, API attacks pose significant threats to organizations. These attacks, particularly the low and slow variety, are notoriously challenging to detect and mitigate. Salt Security stands out as the premier solution for identifying and addressing these sophisticated threats, setting a benchmark that competitors struggle to match. Here’s why Salt Security is unparalleled in catching low and slow API attacks.

The digital economy runs on APIs, the building blocks of the modern internet. From effortless mobile payments to convenient food deliveries, APIs work silently behind the scenes to power the applications we use every day. While APIs aren't new, their usage has exploded in recent years. Cloud computing, agile development practices, and the pandemic-driven surge in digital services have fueled this rapid growth.