Security | Threat Detection | Cyberattacks | DevSecOps | Compliance

On March 25, 2025, NIST released the initial public draft of NIST SP 800-228, "Guidelines for API Protection for Cloud-Native Systems." The document provides a comprehensive framework for securing APIs in cloud-enabled environments. However, for organizations looking to align with these objectives, the tooling requirements may seem initially overwhelming. Fortunately, Wallarm helps streamline the process by integrating many of these recommendations into a single, cloud-native solution.

Agentic AI is transforming business. Organizations are increasingly integrating AI agents into core business systems and processes, using them as intermediaries between users and these internal systems. As a result, these organizations are improving efficiency, automating routine tasks, and driving innovation. But these benefits come at a cost. AI agents rely on APIs to access data and functionality from underlying systems. Without APIs, AI agents are useless.

Despite advancements in API security, access control vulnerabilities, such as broken object-level authentication (BOLA) and broken function-level authentication (BFLA), remain almost impossible to detect. This blog will explore why these vulnerabilities are so difficult to detect, the limitations of current security tools, and the implications for businesses relying on API-driven applications. It will also discuss potential approaches for improving API security posture.

Modern organizations are becoming increasingly reliant on agentic AI, and for good reason: AI agents can dramatically improve efficiency and automate mission-critical functions like customer support, sales, operations, and even security. However, this deep integration into business processes introduces risks that, without proper API security, can compromise sensitive data and decision-making.

Most organizations are using AI in some way today, whether they know it or not. Some are merely beginning to experiment with it, using tools like chatbots. Others, however, have integrated agentic AI directly into their business procedures and APIs. While both types of organizations are undoubtedly realizing remarkable productivity and efficiency benefits, they may not know they are putting themselves at a significant security risk.

A devastating new remote code execution (RCE) vulnerability, CVE-2025-24813, is now actively exploited in the wild. Attackers need just one PUT API request to take over vulnerable Apache Tomcat servers. The exploit, originally published by a Chinese forum user iSee857, is already available online: CVE-2025-24813 PoC by iSee857.

APIs facilitate communication between different software applications and power a wide range of everyday digital experiences, from weather apps to streaming services and everything in between. They are also a critical ingredient of AI. However, if not structured and standardized properly, APIs can become inconsistent, insecure, and difficult to maintain. This is where API specifications come into play.

APIs present a security risk—that much is a given. Attacks on APIs have caused some of the most significant security incidents of the past decades. But the question now is: How can we flip the script and leverage their power to enhance security? Bybit might just have the answer. Bybit—one of the world’s leading cryptocurrency exchanges— recently leveraged the power of an API in the wake of a devastating security breach that resulted in a staggering $1.5 billion loss.

The Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) is one of the most significant cybersecurity regulations for financial institutions in the European Union (EU). Failure to comply can have massive consequences, including financial penalties and forced operational downtime, meaning achieving DORA compliance should be a priority for all EU financial institutions. Implementing a comprehensive API security strategy goes a long way toward ensuring compliance with DORA requirements.

Speed is everything in the modern business world. Our attention spans are shorter than ever, consumers demand short and seamless interactions, and the slightest delay in service delivery can see organizations fall far behind their competitors. This is why real-time APIs are so important; they enable systems to communicate and exchange data with minimal delay, allowing for near-instantaneous updates and interactions to create a more dynamic and responsive user experience.