Today, APIs are the cornerstone of most websites and software — they offer developers the ability to integrate components, features, and tools into their products without breaking a sweat. On top of the benefit, some features – available through APIs – have become commonplace for certain apps. Including mapping and GPS capability, social network, easy sign-in, Slack interface, etc. Today, the public demands that their apps and their services have key APIs. To what extent? As of 2022, the average number of APIs most organizations have in place is almost 16,000 — and over 41% of them have led to serious security incidents and breaches. Currently, 87% of organizations believe that one of their top threats is API security.
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Implementing a new application programming interface – API – for your online application.
The API is the software that enables applications to talk to each other. It is a set of rules and standards that govern the data exchange between different applications. APIs are used in the development of mobile apps, websites, and software programs. They provide a way for these programs to exchange data and share content. It’s how your website connects to Google Analytics, Amazon, Google Ads, Maps, e-wallets, shopping carts and e-commerce galleries, Facebook, Twitter, etc.
Every day more and more APIs are being built and launched. The advance in tech and the need for everything to be connected make APIs critical tools. A new API can be implemented in several ways, depending on the type of application you are building but the most common way is by using a third-party service or an open-source framework —both of these steps mean you’re exposing your networks and systems to outside interference. You are allowing new code, code you didn’t properly test, to enter your database and alter how your platform works.
Security is an important aspect of any API implementation. It is crucial to identify potential security risks and take necessary steps to minimize them before deploying the API.
A good way to do this is by conducting a thorough risk assessment. Here are some security measures that you can implement during the development phase when engaging with APIs.:
- Encrypting data in transit
- Validating input parameters
- Securing access control
- Implementing strict data retention policies
- Implementing rate limiting
An API is critical not only in website building but in software creation. They allow the user to interact with other apps or web services. Today, the software is a composite of other software and developers need APIs to build apps.
API security best practices
The importance of API security cannot be overstated as it is essential to protect your company’s data from unauthorized access, misuse, or alteration. Here are some best practices on how to secure your APIs:
Manage your APIs
Inventory and manage your APIs — It’s important to have a careful tally of how many APIs you employ. In many cases, an SBOM – Software Bill Of Materials – can give you a clear idea of what external codes and apps you have injected into websites or codebases. Organizations and businesses use hundreds or even thousands of publicly available APIs. They have to be aware of what they are, and what they are used for.
Authorization
Use strong authentication schemes such as OAuth and OpenID Connect. Use SSL when transmitting sensitive information such as passwords or credit card numbers. Use strong encryption algorithms such as AES-256. It’s critical to, aside from employing encryption protocols, to apply API security standards/policies. In other words, limit who has access to the codebase and who can alter APIs.
Validation
Validate all inputs and requests — never pass inputs or requests from an API through an endpoint before sanitizing it and validating it.
TMI
Too Much Information — some APIs have a bad habit of revealing too much information. Of unveiling on a simple query more than they should have including personal sensitive information. This is normally due to the improper customization of filters. Ensure that your API limits the information it parses out. Either limit what data it can deliver, or include redaction protocols so it sends out edited data, for example only the last 4 digits of a credit card with the rest blotted out.
Rate limit
One of the easiest ways hackers can hurt your system is with a Denial-Of-Service attack. It is critical to set a threshold for how many requests an API can take in a day — any request above that limit will be rejected.
Firewalls
It’s important to make sure your current firewalls and other security tools can understand API payloads otherwise this might set off a chain reaction in your system that will hurt its functionality.
conduct security tests
Whether it is manual or through the use of automated security tools it’s important to conduct regular API security tests on all your products and assets.
The importance of API security.
APIs are important because they allow developers to create applications without having access to the code of the original application — codes that companies, such as Google, Apple, Spotify, Yahoo, Slack, etc, protect fiercely. This makes it easier for developers to build apps that can connect with each other, which has led to an explosion of mobile and web-based apps in recent years. It also leads to a surge of new cybersecurity threats and risk-prone conditions.
Currently, APIs have become increasingly popular with the rise of the internet of things – IoT – as they provide a way for devices and applications to communicate with each other. Companies can use APIs as an alternative method of storing customer information, rather than keeping it in their own databases. For accessing third-party apps their users demand. For monetization purposes. This means that if a company’s APIs are hacked, customer information – as well as property coding – might be at risk. It’s crucial that you can protect your digital assets, all of them, and API security is one more weapon in your arsenal that will allow you just that.
