Nishant Sharma
As technology is evolving faster, no doubt, many tasks are becoming much easier to perform. It has served to be a time savior too. But, at the same time; if you are not much careful; then your application software may be at a risk of getting attacked.
Whether on the web or mobile phone, it is essential to take the right precautions to prevent unwanted incidents. Then, the benefits associated with API come into the limelight.
What is API Security all about?
APIs, which are central to micro-service architectures, are typically available through public networks. As these networks can be assessed from any desired location, attackers can easily access them.
The nicely documented feature makes them super eligible for reverse engineering. The attack commonly involves side-stepping the client-side application to disrupt the workings of a specific application.
API security mainly focuses on securing this particular application layer. Now, do you want to examine the common types of security risks and attacks? Here are some…..
What are Some of the Most Common API Security Risks and Attacks?
Before implementing some of the most recognizable and best practices related to API security, it will be good to peep into the types of risks. Though the list is an unending one, still some of the most common types of API security attacks are:
- Injection attacks—An injection attack refers to a specific type of attack that occurs when an attacker sends malicious data to an API. As it results in the execution of unintended commands, the final outcome includes data loss and breaching.
- Broken authentication—Broken authentication is a special type of attack that takes place the moment any type of attacker impersonates a legitimate user. This type of breaching results from exploitation of weaknesses in the authentication mechanism of APIs. The final outcome includes stealing user credentials, exploiting vulnerabilities, and using session tokens in the protocol.
- Insecure direct object references (IDOR)—Insecure Direct Object References occur the moment an API is exposed to direct references to internal resources. Malicious attackers manipulate such references to gain illegal access to data.
- High exposure to sensitive information—Exposure to sensitive information is a common type of API security risk. It occurs when an API unnecessarily reveals sensitive information, including user passwords, credit card numbers, and so on. This happens due to poor coding and a lack of proper data sanitization.
- Lack of rate limiting—Rate limiting is another technique for controlling the total number of requests a client can send to an API within a specific duration. Lack of proper rate limiting may result in susceptible or sometimes brute-force attacks.
- Misconfigured cross-origin resource sharing permits unauthorized domains to make unwanted attacks, which eventually leads to data breaches.
- API versioning—API versioning is the practice of having more than one version of an API to accommodate changes in the structure and functionality over time. If it is not managed properly, it may lead to higher security risks.
After reviewing some of the most common types of security threats, are you wondering about the next stage? It is high time to explore some of the best practices that may help improve API security in the long run.
An Insight into Some of the Best Practices for Securing APIs
With the increase in the number of attacks by intruders, it is becoming essential for organizations to adhere to some of the best security practices. Employing well-established security controls can help prevent future dangerous attacks.
Some of the most preferable and best practices for securing APIs are:
- Encryption of data – Encryption of data is a vital step that ensures the highest level of API security. There are many ways to do so, but the best practice is implementing HTTPS and TLS for securing communication.
Both help protect sensitive information between client and server and prevent data from being intercepted, modified, or stolen by attackers. The various techniques that can be applied include transparent data encryption, file-level encryption, and column-level encryption.
- Applying strong authentication and authorization solutions—Conducting perimeter scanning may help discover every detail of APIs and work with the DevOps team properly. Also, applying strong authentication and authorization solutions may help prevent business data from being misused.
Broken authorization works when APIs stop enforcing authentication or the authentication factor breaks down easily. As APIs serve as an entry point to an organization’s databases, strict access control is mandatory. In terms of feasible outcomes, it will be good to use mechanisms like Oauth2.0 and OpenID Connect.
- Practicing the principle of least privilege—Applying the principle of least privilege equally to all APIs will be one more step toward the highest security. This specific practice is all about the subjects to be granted to minimize access to a stated function.
Encryption of traffic with the help of TLS is one more essential step. Also, the removal of unwanted information pieces is one more vital step to be carried out. Incorporation of scanning tools in the DevSecOps procedures may be helpful in limiting the accidental exposure to some highly secret points of the business database.
- Validating input details—In most cases, input is passed from an API all along the endpoint without validation. To ensure the highest level of security, it will be good to validate every detail to prevent unwanted access.
Also, limiting user rates and setting a specific threshold will be a great step. Requests sent above the specified number will get automatically rejected, finally preventing denial-of-service attacks.
- Building threat models—One more exclusive API security practice is threat modeling. It is a process where potential threats and vulnerabilities are identified in the APIs. This makes it easy to understand almost all types of risks and attack vectors toward the business.
Carrying out a detailed analysis of various API components, such as data stores and endpoints, may help in effectively building threat models. Also, examining the data flow rate between components may help in understanding the way data is processed, transmitted, and stored.
- Having a well-defined security policy—A well-defined security policy is essential to ensure that almost all team members are aware of best practices related to API security. The policy must cover different aspects, including authentication, data protection, authorization, and monitoring.
Another vital aspect related to API security is staying well-informed about the latest threats and vulnerabilities. This includes regularly consulting resources like OWASP, security blogs, and industry news. Also, APIs and other software packages must be up-to-date to prevent unwanted attacks by intruders.
These are some of the well-defined API security practices that may help prevent organizations vulnerable to unwanted attacks.
In Conclusion!
From above, it is clear that APIs are on the way to becoming among the highly preferable methods for building modern applications for both mobile and IoT devices. There is no great mystery in securing an organization’s details.
Regardless of the number of APIs your business chooses to use, the ultimate goal must be establishing solid API security policies. Proactively managing them is another vital step.
