Why Choose a Cloud-Native Approach to Fend Off API Attacks

As organizations adopt a “digital-first” mentality, APIs have essentially become the backbone of modern applications, providing seamless integration between services, platforms, and third-party systems. For businesses, APIs help streamline processes and for consumers, APIs enable smooth and easily accessible digital services. However, an increased reliance on and growing number of APIs has also made them prime targets for cyberattacks. API security is no longer just a consideration—it's a necessity. Among the many strategies to safeguard APIs, a cloud-native approach should be top of the list as the most effective and scalable way to fend off API attacks. Here's why.

API attacks are on the rise

The rapid adoption of APIs has, unfortunately, been matched by an uptick in the sophistication and frequency of API attacks. From data breaches to account takeovers, attackers exploit vulnerabilities in APIs to access sensitive data, manipulate transactions, or disrupt services. Traditional security measures, designed for monolithic architectures, often fall short in the face of these complex and evolving threats. This is where a cloud-native approach offers a significant advantage.

The problem with on-premises API security management

Managing API security on-premises presents several challenges that make it less than ideal. First, it places the entire infrastructure cost burden on the company, requiring significant investment in hardware, maintenance, and scaling. This is particularly costly compared to cloud-based solutions, where providers manage and optimize the infrastructure. While every customer is different, conservatively, these on-prem costs could rise anywhere from 20%-50% depending on the organization.

Second, on-premises systems are limited in AI learning capabilities. They only have access to the company's own data, restricting the scope and accuracy of machine learning models. In contrast, cloud-based API security solutions can leverage data from billions of APIs worldwide, enabling more advanced threat detection and adaptation.

Additionally, versioning becomes a major issue in on-prem management. Unlike Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) models, where updates are seamlessly applied to all users, on-prem solutions require manual updates. This leads to inconsistent versions across environments, making it harder to maintain up-to-date security practices - for example, think about running outdated versions of productivity software like Salesforce locally, versus the SaaS model that is continually updated and recent.

The Power of Cloud-Native Architectures

Alternatively, cloud-native architectures are designed to be scalable, flexible, and resilient. They leverage microservices, containers, and orchestration tools like Kubernetes, enabling applications to be developed, deployed, and managed with agility. This architectural style aligns perfectly with the dynamic nature of APIs, which often need to be updated, scaled, or modified in response to changing business requirements or user demands.

A cloud-native approach to API security means that security measures are built into the architecture from the ground up, rather than being bolted on as an afterthought. This type of integration provides five main benefits:‍

1. Scalability and Performance. APIs can experience varying levels of demand, sometimes spiking unpredictably. Cloud-native environments are inherently scalable, allowing security measures to scale in tandem with API traffic. This ensures that performance is not compromised, even under high load conditions. Traditional, static security solutions can struggle with this, leading to bottlenecks or even failures during peak times.

2. Continuous Monitoring and Automation. In a cloud-native environment, security is continuous and automated. Tools like CI/CD pipelines, integrated with security testing, ensure that vulnerabilities are identified and addressed during the development process. Once in production, cloud-native tools enable continuous monitoring of API traffic for anomalies, providing rapid detection and response to potential threats.

Automation plays a crucial role in this process. By leveraging machine learning and AI, cloud-native security solutions can analyze vast amounts of data in real-time to identify patterns indicative of an attack. Non-API specific security tools struggle to identify patterns of API attacks that might otherwise look like normal traffic to solutions untrained to spot these types of attacks. This proactive approach allows for faster and more effective responses, minimizing the potential damage of an API breach.

3. Microservices and Isolation

One of the key features of cloud-native architectures is the use of microservices, where applications are broken down into smaller, independent components. This segmentation inherently helps to improve security, since if an attacker compromises one microservice, the impact is contained, preventing lateral movement across the entire application. This isolation contrasts sharply with traditional monolithic architectures, where a single vulnerability can compromise the entire system.

4. Zero Trust and API Security

The zero trust security model, which assumes that threats could come from anywhere and anyone, aligns intrinsically with cloud-native environments. Every API call, user, and device is authenticated and authorized, ensuring that only legitimate requests are processed. Cloud-native environments make it easier to implement zero trust principles, given their inherent focus on automation, scalability, and continuous monitoring.

5. Resilience and Redundancy

Cloud-native architectures are designed with resilience in mind. Redundancy, failover mechanisms, and automated recovery processes ensure that even if an API is attacked, the system remains operational, and service disruptions are minimized. This resilience is crucial in maintaining user trust and ensuring business continuity in the face of API attacks.

Building Resilience with Cloud-Native API Security

As API numbers grow, the need for robust security measures becomes more and more important. A cloud-native approach offers a forward-looking, scalable, and resilient way to protect APIs against cyberthreats now and into the future. By embracing a cloud-native API security approach, organizations can not only strengthen their security posture but also ensure that their applications remain agile, performant, and ready to meet the demands of the digital age.

If you want to learn more about Salt and how we can help you on your API Security journey through discovery, posture management, and run-time threat protection, please contact us, schedule a demo, or check out our website.