Understanding API Attacks: Why Are They Different and How Can You Stop Them

Salt has just released a new resource for business and security leaders – “Understanding API Attacks: Why Are They Different and How Can You Stop Them.” Salt undertook writing this eBook as part of our ongoing commitment to educate the market about API security issues and trends. In this new eBook, we take a close look at how API attacks differ from traditional attacks, and the measures organizations can take to protect against them.

We all know that API attacks are growing. API attacks have gained significant attention due to high-profile incidents such as the Optus data breach and breaches affecting organizations such as Peloton, Experian, LinkedIn and Twitter. No organization is immune to API attacks, regardless of size or data value, which is why protecting APIs has become crucial for sustaining business growth.

Why have APIs become a top target for cybercriminals?

Three main reasons are making APIs a top target:

1. API usage has exploded. This widespread adoption of APIs has created a large attack surface for attackers – and they are taking full advantage of the opportunity.
2. APIs expose large volumes of valuable data, including PII, making them a highly lucrative target for bad actors.
3. Most organizations lack centralized security strategies and governance frameworks for APIs, leading to increased data exposure risks. This is further complicated by API sprawl, generated by the rapid pace of API proliferations, and the use of open-source or third-party APIs.

How do API attacks differ?

Our eBook walks you through multiple types of API attacks and discusses how API attacks differ from traditional pattern-based attacks. With APIs, attackers focus on exploiting the underlying application and business logic behind each API. They use reconnaissance techniques to probe for vulnerabilities and gain unauthorized access to data or functionality within the API. We discuss why traditional tools and testing methods are inadequate to detect and prevent these attacks.

What are the most common types of API attacks?

In our eBook, we also outline the most common types of API attacks, among them:

• Lack of visibility and governance – where attackers exploit unknown or unsecured APIs, including shadow or zombie APIs, to gain unauthorized access
• Abuse and misuse of APIs – where attackers manipulate APIs according to their intended design to achieve malicious outcomes, such as data exfiltration
• Business logic flaw exploitation – where attackers conduct reconnaissance to identify vulnerabilities in the unique business logic of each API enabling unauthorized access or data manipulation
• Stolen credentials and social engineering – where attackers use social engineering techniques to gain access to privileged API keys, allowing them to impersonate legitimate users

Our eBook also takes an in-depth look at the vulnerabilities and threats outlined in the recently released 2023 OWASP API Security Top 10 list.