API, the abbreviated form of Application Programming Interface, means a connection that works as a medium to allow two applications or programs to interact.

Tagged as a vital part of the digital transformation of businesses, an API architecture could be understood as a set of definitions and protocol framework to use and exchange third parties’ data.

Third-party data? Rings a bell?

APIs enable you to transmit data between services and applications without any need to comprehend their internal mechanics.

Let’s understand this. Suppose you are building a site or portal to give stock market data and numbers information to users. You would need real-time data and aggregated sources to derive information from. Google and Yahoo finance sections come to your mind. One of the most important and rigorous components in any application is its “back-end”: the part that provides access to data. You can’t directly access Google or Yahoo finance data. You must use their respective websites to see what code is running on their servers. Systems in the Google and Yahoo finance APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) make it possible for users who need access to certain data to get it – letting authorized users retrieve data on their sites.

What is API Security?

API security refers to the security best practices applied to web APIs to prevent or mitigate attacks on them.

According to a research report, more than a quarter of the firms using production APIs (nearly 26%) do not have an API security policy. In comparison, 36% of organizations have an essential security policy to safeguard their APIs.

Only 11% believe their API security policy is advanced, with specialized API testing and API protection in place.

API security implies protecting web application connections from hackers and developing safe and secure versions. If API communications get intercepted, the data can be corrupted, deleted, or exploited.

APIs can be formed in 2 ways:

• Representational State Transfer (REST) – an architecture
• Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) – a messaging protocol

Numerous business operations leverage APIs to interconnect services and exchange potentially sensitive data. For example, APIs that communicate authentication, financial, or payment card information (PCI) require extra caution.

How to Test Whether Your API is Secure?

The API security methodology ensures the address of standard security considerations, such as user access, encryption, and authentication concerns. API security testing creates inputs that induce vulnerabilities and ambiguous activity from an API, basically emulating the actions and possible attacks.

• It begins with defining the API under test.
• Next, testers share information on the API’s inputs and outputs utilizing several specification formats. The security tests bank on this information to generate fuzzed input suitable for the input the API expects.
• Finally, the testing reports any security flaws or vulnerabilities discovered while fuzzing the API.

It could comprise authorization/authentication bypasses and failures, security configuration issues, SQL and OS command injections, path traversal issues, and data disclosure.

3 Prominent Types of API Security and Management

Proper API administration predominantly dictates API security standards. Many API management systems support three API security types. They are as follows-

• API keyconsists of a single token string, primarily a device offering unique authentication data.
• Basic authenticationis a two-token string solution comprising a password and user ID/name.
• OpenID Connect (OIDC)is a basic identification layer placed over the OAuth framework. It authenticates the user by gathering essential user information and utilizing an authentication server.

Top 3 API Security Tips You Must Implement

Follow these 3 key practical tips aka checklist with optimal everyday practices to secure your APIs from bugs and vulnerabilities-

1.Authentication Using an API Key

Authentication entails confirming the identity of the user.

For example, it could simply verify a user ID or ensure that a token is validated and not expired. In this case, you construct a string of characters to function as a key, which the user utilizes to access the API. This solution also enables the users to save the API key in a configuration file without compromising their login details to others with access to that data.

2.Authorize Users Based on Their Roles and Responsibilities

The authorization technique is instrumental in reviewing the resources that the user gets a permit to access or alter through established roles or assertions.

For example, the authenticated user has read access to a piece of information but can’t revise it. The same is true for your API. Certain assets or nodes may be accessible to standard users, but specific authorized users get admin privileges over the data and information.

Also, you can integrate an access token for authorizing users to interact with the API. Users can obtain access tokens while registering to retain an authorization level. The access token will get validated every time a user requests the API. Also, include revocation or a reconfigure option for the token.

3.Utilize Advanced Security with WAAP

WAAP is the solution to the ongoing API security concerns. They can limit the data flow to the degree of requirement, preventing you from leaking or exposing unnecessary information. Additionally, it lets you keep a tab of all API calls and perform the requisite surveillance to monitor how API utilization transpires.

Start with Apptrana. The leading Web Application & API Protection (WAAP) platform offers a 360-degree view of business security posture, using signature recognition, security-centric monitoring, and API management to block the potential of API abuse. 

Conclusion

You can’t limit API security testing to a particular or predefined path. Organizations need to perform a strategic inspection of applications for any potential threats due to the increasing number of cyberattacks and the proliferation of undiscovered vulnerabilities virtually every day. Today, data is the most significant element to protect.

API security plays a crucial role in the application development process. It will help safeguard the application from any potential malicious input.

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