How to Mitigate the Top 11 API Security Risks
Application Programming Interface, or API, is a software intermediary that lets two applications interact. When you use Facebook, send an instant message, or check the weather on your phone, you are using an API. APIs allow businesses to automate tasks and improve communication between departments.
11 Most Common API Security Risks
Broken Object Level Authorization: The attacker can access objects they shouldn’t be able to access. This could include sensitive data or privileged information.
Mass Assignment: A Mass Assignment occurs when client-provided data (e.g., JSON) is bound to data models without sufficient properties filtering based on an allow-list. Attackers can edit object properties they aren’t allowed to by guessing, researching other API endpoints, reading the documentation, or giving new object properties in request payloads.
Security Misconfiguration: Attackers gain access to sensitive data or systems when a developer’s security controls are ineffective or not turned on.
Broken User Authentication: In this case, authentication mechanisms are often implemented incorrectly, allowing attackers to access resources without proper authorization and compromising the integrity and safety of the system. Falsifying usage credentials can lead to other user information being permanently taken, and the disruption of API security is due to the compromise of identification mechanisms.
Broken Function Level Authorization: The complexity of authorization procedures with multiple hierarchies, groupings, and roles, and the blurred boundary between administrative and regular duties often lead to authorization failures. By exploiting these vulnerabilities, an attacker can gain access to other users’ resources or another organization’s administrative functions.
Excessive Data Exposure: This scenario involves an attacker gaining access to more data than they should. This could include personal information or confidential company data.
Security Misconfiguration: Missing or incorrect configurations, opened cloud storage, ad hoc configurations, unnecessary HTTP methods, misconfigured HTTP headers, permissive Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (CORS), and verbose error messages containing sensitive information may lead to this issue.
Injection: Injection occurs when an attacker injects malicious code into an API data request. This can allow the attacker to control the system or steal data.
Lack of Resources & Rate Limiting: There is typically no limit on the maximum size or quantity of data a client can request. This can cause the API server to perform poorly, causing a Denial of Service (DoS). It also exposes the API server to authentication vulnerabilities, such as brute force attacks.
Improper Asset Management: In this case, the attacker can access assets they shouldn’t be able to access, such as software libraries with known vulnerabilities.
Insufficient Logging & Monitoring: Because attackers often try to run their attacks stealthily before being detected, companies must monitor and log API activity. Without proper monitoring, an attacker can launch a successful attack without being detected.
API Security Best Practices
API Gateways:
An API gateway is an API management tool that sits between a client and a collection of backend services. API gateways act as a central point of entry or access for all API calls and enable developers to authenticate API traffic as well as implement other security measures easily.
Data Encryption:
The use of Transport Layer Security (TLS) to encrypt information and digital signatures ensures that only authorized users can access sensitive data.
Identify Vulnerabilities:
You must first find the phases of your API’s life cycle where the vulnerabilities are probable before you can secure them with a thorough understanding of how each stage of API protection works. By scanning for bad codes and validating your code, you can identify areas where problems could occur.
Use Token:
Tokens enable you to gain access to a particular API and request authorization to use it. Once authentication and authorization are completed, the token is granted to the identity. Tokens allow you to create trusted identities and assign them to control individual API access, which enables trusted identities to play crucial roles in access control.
Conclusion
API security isn’t about protecting a website or application; it’s about protecting your business. API threats cannot be eliminated, but how your security architecture is built will directly impact your risk level and the amount of time you spend on mitigation efforts.