Utility programming interfaces (APIs) are a strong expertise that permit companies to innovate quicker and sustain with the demanding tempo of the market. However in addition they include their very own set of challenges. Not solely do APIs increase the assault floor, in addition they expose new entry factors to disrupt companies and acquire entry to knowledge, together with private identifiable data (PII).
In most API-related incidents, breaches happen by way of comparatively easy technical means. Most frequently, the foundation trigger of those breaches is a number of poorly secured API endpoints. The information shouldn’t be all dangerous, nonetheless. Companies can take simple steps to vastly enhance their API safety.
Given the complexity of correctly securing APIs, many companies decide to work with a trusted associate. This strategy definitely has its benefits, although it can be crucial for consumers to know consider and differentiate myriad API safety choices. To assist with this, I might prefer to share 10 must-have options that each one API safety suppliers ought to supply.
1. API Visibility and Discovery
Earlier than an API could be secured, it should be recognized. For quite a lot of causes, API endpoints are sometimes created with out the IT or safety staff’s data. When this occurs, these APIs aren’t a part of asset administration, and they’re additionally not correctly subjected to safety and compliance insurance policies and controls. Thus, API visibility and discovery is step one in API safety, and it’s a must-have for any API safety supplier.
2. Schema Validation
Guaranteeing correct API conduct primarily based on legitimate enter and output is a vital a part of an total API safety strategy. Making an attempt to breach APIs or trigger improper output from APIs by way of using invalid or improper enter is a well-liked approach utilized by attackers. Requiring that each one API requests and responses adjust to schema and all specs is a vital step in defending these APIs from assaults and breaches. That is undoubtedly one other space the place an API safety resolution may help.
3. Coverage Enforcement
Correctly outlined, clever safety insurance policies are nice, however with out strict enforcement, they’re ineffective. Implementing API safety insurance policies — price limiting, IP popularity, permit/deny record, and so forth. — is a should for any API safety supplier.
4. Safeguarding of Delicate Information
One of many foremost vulnerabilities of poorly secured APIs is the leaking of delicate knowledge, corresponding to PII. As such, utilizing APIs to pilfer this knowledge is one other path for attackers. Safeguarding this delicate knowledge entails guaranteeing the APIs are correctly coded and secured, in addition to verifying that delicate knowledge shouldn’t be inadvertently or improperly being transmitted or leaked from the API. Safeguarding delicate knowledge ought to be part of any API safety resolution.
5. Abuse and DoS Safety
When folks consider safety towards abuse or denial-of-service (DoS) assaults, they typically take into consideration Layers 3 and 4 of the OSI mannequin. Sadly, the applying layer (Layer 7) the place APIs dwell is typically forgotten. Attackers are tuned into this and are at all times able to pounce, making Layer 7 safety towards abuse and DoS a should.
6. Assault Safety
Attackers are continually looking out for methods to compromise and exploit APIs. A mature API safety resolution will embody signature-based, anomaly-based, and synthetic intelligence/machine studying (AI/ML)-based safety towards all kinds of assaults.
7. Entry Management
Consider it or not, even in 2023, improper entry management, together with authentication and authorization, stays one of many foremost points plaguing APIs. Whether or not because of oversights, human errors, haste, or some other cause, improperly managed entry to APIs can have devastating penalties. A superb API safety resolution will present authentication discovery companies (permitting authentication gaps to be found), authentication enforcement, and API entry management.
8. Malicious Consumer Detection
One helpful utility of AI/ML is to check, analyze, and draw conclusions in regards to the conduct of purchasers interacting with APIs. Detecting and stopping customers who look like malicious may help shield APIs from assault, compromise, and breach as a part of an total API safety resolution.
9. Configuration and Administration
Improper configuration and administration of APIs is liable for way more breaches than it ought to be. The most effective API safety options permit companies to simply deploy and implement the proper safety mannequin. This, in flip, helps make sure that APIs aren’t misconfigured or mismanaged.
10. Behavioral Evaluation
One utility of AI/ML that could be very related to API safety is behavioral evaluation. The evaluation pours over the varied logs collected from endpoints and APIs of an utility. Pattern request and response knowledge examples for every API are studied and analyzed. This maps out the conduct of those paths and offers alternative to generate and analyze key metrics, corresponding to request measurement and response measurement, latency with and with out knowledge, request price and error price, and response throughput. That is an iterative course of that continues over time and is constantly up to date. Behavioral evaluation ought to completely be a part of any API safety providing.
Whereas APIs can open many doorways for companies, they’ll additionally introduce fairly a little bit of vulnerability and danger. By understanding the important components of an API safety resolution, consumers can make sure that they purchase an answer that meets their enterprise wants, reduces danger, and improves their total safety posture.
