How and why you should secure APIs

In the current corporate landscape, APIs are an essential tool. Businesses may offer a faster and more convenient range of features and functionalities to their customers by enabling applications to communicate and exchange data and services. Therefore, it is understandable that a quarter of firms report that APIs account for at least 10% of their entire revenue, a figure that is expected to rise in the years to come.

But despite all of its advantages, APIs can cause enterprises to worry about security. In a study of API users, 91% of respondents disclosed a security issue involving an API. Unfortunately, many organisations’ API security efforts are simply insufficient, leaving the firm and its clients vulnerable to attack and data loss.

Every company that makes use of APIs, and every company that considers utilising APIs, should have a strong API security plan in place. This article examines API flaws and provides advice on how businesses can secure their APIs. best Cybersecurity Service provider

The importance of APIs

APIs offer a wealth of advantages to businesses as well as their clients. An API is only a mechanism that enables an application to interface with other applications and data sources at the most fundamental level. Developers can take use of these connections to build new tools, features, and analytical apps, accelerating company innovation and continuously enhancing user experience.

From online banking and payment systems to travel aggregator services, social media, and media streaming services, APIs make everything possible. They play a significant role in the rapidly developing bitcoin industry.

APIs are used by cryptocurrency developers to create decentralized apps (DApps) on blockchains. Additionally, smart contracts that regulate anything from transactions to the creation of decentralized autonomous organizations interact with APIs (blockchain governance structures known colloquially as DAOs).

APIs also make it easier for business apps to share data, which eliminates the need for repetitive and costly data entering. Additionally, they are crucial to the automation of many corporate processes. Additionally, they assist companies in developing efficient communication solutions to make sure that their teams continue to function well even while operating virtually in a workplace setting that increasingly includes remote workers.

APIs can be used by businesses for sophisticated competitive intelligence initiatives. In addition to making the collection of competitive data from many sources simpler, they play a crucial role in the development of efficient data analytics and display technologies.

To stay up to date with the most recent developments in your business, you may even use them to regularly monitor modifications to the websites of your rivals (e.g., with tools like Visualping).

API security vulnerabilities

Because APIs are such a significant component of the business landscape, hackers are increasingly focusing on them. This year, API attacks are expected to be the most popular attack vector, and Gartner’s prediction is quickly coming to pass.

As a result of API assaults, some of the biggest and most technologically advanced corporations in the world have experienced well reported data breaches. Also, as organizations have unfortunately discovered, there are several ways for hackers to exploit APIs.

Targeting code vulnerabilities

APIs are only as good as the underlying code, just like any other piece of software. Hackers are only too happy to take advantage of inherent weaknesses created by subpar API coding.

DDoS attacks

Attacks such as distributed denial of service (DDoS), which aim to fully disable APIs for users by flooding them with traffic, are becoming more commonplace. The rise of e-commerce in recent years is one factor. In DDoS assaults, stock can be added to carts that users never check out, preventing access to inventories (denial of inventory attack).

Failed authentication and access control policies

Organizations must rigorously regulate API access and demand solid authentication. Role-based access control, least privilege, and zero trust policies should all be included in company API security policies to reduce the chance that hackers may use stolen credentials to interfere with APIs. These regulations will also limit how far a successful hacker can penetrate a company’s systems using stolen credentials, particularly if businesses severely prohibit providing people access to a wide range of rights.

Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) attacks

By intercepting and altering the communications between users and APIs, hackers can place themselves in the way of those parties. Hackers can access sensitive user accounts and data through MitM assaults, which they can then exploit to steal corporate data. When businesses do not use transport layer security (TLS) in their APIs, the risk of MitM attacks rises.

Securing your APIs

So what actions must businesses take to ensure the highest level of security while using APIs?

Build an API inventory

Knowing what APIs you have and how to utilize them is the first step. By removing unwanted or out-of-date APIs, a thorough API inventory assists you to reduce your overall attack surface. This includes determining whether you have several versions of a particular API. Your security efforts can be prioritized by using an API inventory to focus resources on your most important systems.

Create effective API security policies

Before a hacker even steps foot on the scene, API vulnerabilities already exist. Unfortunately, many businesses either don’t have API security rules in place or, if they do, the policies are ineffective, resulting in inadequate protection of API assets. Strong security policies that are consistently enforced and updated must be applied by organizations to their use of APIs.

Use strong authentication methods and encryption

You must authenticate the identities of the individuals and services accessing your APIs in addition to having regulations that restrict who can use them. Your APIs become more resistant to attacks and have a smaller attack surface when you use authentication techniques like API key or OAuth authentication.

Limit data exposure

Less data is transferred through an API, making it harder for hackers to intercept or steal it. As a result, only share data across an API when it is absolutely necessary. In addition to reducing possible breach problems, your firm will also be in a stronger position with regard to compliance problems.

Conclusion

APIs will only become more and more widely used and popular. And they’ll still be a favourite target for attacks. Therefore, make sure you are taking all required precautions to protect your APIs from hackers. best Cybersecurity Service provider