Security | Threat Detection | Cyberattacks | DevSecOps | Compliance

41% of organizations suffered an API security incident, where a majority (63%) were data breaches. This is despite 90% of them using authentication policies in place, according to a survey by 451 Research. No surprises there, as authentication is just one piece of the API security puzzle. In this blog, we’ll cover the 12 methods that technology leaders need to incorporate to secure and protect APIs.

APIs are great for accessing specific functions and features, but what happens when they allow unauthorized access? Imagine a social media platform where users can share posts. To enable users to access posts, the platform provides an API that allows GET requests to retrieve posts by specifying the user ID and post ID. GET/api/v2.1/user/1438/posts?id=40. The API will return the 40th post for user id 1438. As these are public forums, any user can submit GET requests to access posts.

Most SaaS engineering teams use the CI/CD pipeline for software development. Since a CI/CD approach enables faster, more collaborative, and more efficient development processes, leading to higher-quality software. No wonder that this is popular. More frequent release cycles mean more opportunities for vulnerabilities to creep into the code. While DevOps teams are central to running a CI/CD pipeline, since application security is gaining importance, more engineering teams are adding DevSecOps teams.

WAF ( Web Application Firewall) is the first line of defense between the app and the internet traffic. It monitors and filters internet traffic to stop bad traffic and malicious requests. The WAF is a crucial security solution that ensures the availability and integrity of web services. It functions as a reverse proxy by serving as an intermediary that safeguards the web app server against malicious clients.

Excessive data exposure occurs when APIs reveal more fields, data, and information than the client requires through the API response. Excessive data exposure flaws expose all object properties to API calls rather than what the user needs to act on without considering the object’s sensitivity level. This vulnerability exposes you to data leaks, man-in-the-middle attacks, and other cyber threats. That is why excessive data exposure in APIs is listed as #3 in the OWASP API Security Top 10 2019.

As APIs continue to increase across industries, so too do the threats to their security. The OWASP API Top 10 list is an essential resource for businesses looking to secure their application programming interfaces. OWASP is best known for releasing the top 10 security risks and vulnerability lists for web apps, mobile apps, APIs, and so on, which are revised every four years to reflect the latest threats and risks affecting organizations globally.

When was the last time your organization conducted an API security assessment? And did you have the framework and resources to do so? Now more than ever, companies need to know where their APIs are vulnerable to malicious actors. Check out the API Penetration Testing checklist, which outlines how to conduct an effective API security assessment for your organization.