API Proliferation and the Expanding API Threat Landscape

This API is FEELD with bugs

–

9/10/24

2000000

I didn't subscribe for this!

–

7/27/24

6800000

Guess where I am

–

7/17/24

442519

PandaBye

–

4/2/24

1300000

Newly minted tokens available

–

3/19/24

91

A computer bug pandemic

–

3/14/24

1000000

Glowing Symphony

–

2/13/24

25000000

And it started spouting

–

2/5/24

207000

Give me your phone number

–

1/29/24

78000000

Free email credentials!

–

1/18/24

650000

Organize your breaches

–

1/16/24

15115516

Something even a hug can't fix

–

12/4/23

1500

Like stealing the keys from the do…

–

10/20/23

134

Like a crime scene

–

10/13/23

17000000

Data breach, join the (golf) club

–

8/29/23

1114954

Manage yourself in the door

–

7/25/23

2900

Unhealthy access

–

7/13/23

1000000

Let the citizens' data be free

–

7/7/23

50000000

Horsing around

–

7/6/23

10000

Jump into my cloud

–

7/6/23

180000

Patently obviously

–

6/28/23

61000

Just swipe for data

–

6/13/23

450000

Mow the data

–

6/7/23

38675

My door is always open

–

4/5/23

40000

Get to know your fellow passenger

–

2/14/23

7300000

Mi wallet es tu wallet

–

2/7/23

5000000

Transparent partnerships

–

2/7/23

14000

Learning to speak

–

1/24/23

2600000

Toll-free call for user data

–

1/19/23

37000000

Offensive leak of offender data

–

1/11/23

5970

Burger with your breach

–

12/29/22

3548

Crypto keys for sale

–

12/10/22

100000

Keys to your apps, and data

–

11/21/22

3250000

Round goes the carousel

–

10/13/22

2600000

Telecom Breach

–

9/22/22

11000000

Workrise Workforce

–

5/20/22

1000

GitHub Access Tokens

–

4/20/22

10000

Texas Department of Insurance

–

3/20/22

1800000

SmartTub

–

12/20/21

10000

One Password to Rule Them All

–

9/20/21

1500000

Weighing up hardcoded credentials

–

9/6/21

500000

You can access my phone number

–

8/18/21

48650000

Farming API Data

–

8/1/21

10000

Credit where it isn't due

–

4/20/21

15000000

API Fitness

–

1/20/21

3000000

Home battery pack API doesn't re…

–

11/20/20

379

Data insurance gone wrong

–

11/1/20

650000

Crypto wallet users compromised

–

7/1/20

270000

Some data with your coffee?

–

6/20/20

100000000

Inhospitable API

–

6/20/20

2106

Open Communications

–

4/20/20

9580000

Pick a card, any card

–

4/10/20

41000

We can skip the small talk

–

3/30/20

95000000

API Political Gaffe

–

2/20/20

6453254

Remote virus control

–

11/14/19

13021

Entitled to data

–

5/24/19

800000000

Send me your name and address

–

11/20/18

60000000

Socially available

–

9/28/18

50000000

Open Online Transactions

–

6/1/18

200000000

I'm not lovin' it

–

3/20/17

2200000

Don't forget my number

–

6/24/13

2500000

Card me

–

6/9/11

350000

This API is FEELD with bugs

–

9/10/24

2000000

I didn't subscribe for this!

–

7/27/24

6800000

Guess where I am

–

7/17/24

442519

PandaBye

–

4/2/24

1300000

Newly minted tokens available

–

3/19/24

91

A computer bug pandemic

–

3/14/24

1000000

Glowing Symphony

–

2/13/24

25000000

And it started spouting

–

2/5/24

207000

Give me your phone number

–

1/29/24

78000000

Free email credentials!

–

1/18/24

650000

Organize your breaches

–

1/16/24

15115516

Something even a hug can't fix

–

12/4/23

1500

Like stealing the keys from the do…

–

10/20/23

134

Like a crime scene

–

10/13/23

17000000

Data breach, join the (golf) club

–

8/29/23

1114954

Manage yourself in the door

–

7/25/23

2900

Unhealthy access

–

7/13/23

1000000

Let the citizens' data be free

–

7/7/23

50000000

Horsing around

–

7/6/23

10000

Jump into my cloud

–

7/6/23

180000

Patently obviously

–

6/28/23

61000

Just swipe for data

–

6/13/23

450000

Mow the data

–

6/7/23

38675

My door is always open

–

4/5/23

40000

Get to know your fellow passenger

–

2/14/23

7300000

Mi wallet es tu wallet

–

2/7/23

5000000

Transparent partnerships

–

2/7/23

14000

Learning to speak

–

1/24/23

2600000

Toll-free call for user data

–

1/19/23

37000000

Offensive leak of offender data

–

1/11/23

5970

Burger with your breach

–

12/29/22

3548

Crypto keys for sale

–

12/10/22

100000

Keys to your apps, and data

–

11/21/22

3250000

Round goes the carousel

–

10/13/22

2600000

Telecom Breach

–

9/22/22

11000000

Workrise Workforce

–

5/20/22

1000

GitHub Access Tokens

–

4/20/22

10000

Texas Department of Insurance

–

3/20/22

1800000

SmartTub

–

12/20/21

10000

One Password to Rule Them All

–

9/20/21

1500000

Weighing up hardcoded credentials

–

9/6/21

500000

You can access my phone number

–

8/18/21

48650000

Farming API Data

–

8/1/21

10000

Credit where it isn't due

–

4/20/21

15000000

API Fitness

–

1/20/21

3000000

Home battery pack API doesn't re…

–

11/20/20

379

Data insurance gone wrong

–

11/1/20

650000

Crypto wallet users compromised

–

7/1/20

270000

Some data with your coffee?

–

6/20/20

100000000

Inhospitable API

–

6/20/20

2106

Open Communications

–

4/20/20

9580000

Pick a card, any card

–

4/10/20

41000

We can skip the small talk

–

3/30/20

95000000

API Political Gaffe

–

2/20/20

6453254

Remote virus control

–

11/14/19

13021

Entitled to data

–

5/24/19

800000000

Send me your name and address

–

11/20/18

60000000

Socially available

–

9/28/18

50000000

Open Online Transactions

–

6/1/18

200000000

I'm not lovin' it

–

3/20/17

2200000

Don't forget my number

–

6/24/13

2500000

Card me

–

6/9/11

350000

“Current data indicates that the average API breach leads to at least 10 times more leaked data than the average security breach.”

—Gartner, Market Guide for API Protection, Dionisio Zumerle,  Aaron Lord, Esraa ElTahawy, Mark O'Neill, 29 May 2024

The number of APIs is exploding with no end in sight.

The number of APIs has increased by 167% in the past year. While GenAI accelerates business growth, it is also generating security risks faster than companies can keep up.

Connectivity

Number of Services and APIs

57% Of dynamic HTTP traffic on Cloudflare network is API related

And growing as a result of GenAI usage…

Number of services

The productivity gains of GenAI  create unintentional problems.

Do you know where and how many APIs you have?

GenAI increases the speed and volume of API creation.

New APIs in seconds vs hours
Easy-to-create shadow APIs 
Zombie APIs left behind

Are you staying  in policy?

With increased proliferation, it’s challenging to keep up with policy.

Corporate or industry policies are documented but unable to manage the volume
No time to report back to DevOps any found issue
Further and further behind

Are you stopping all  the threats?

The speed and volume makes it impossible to check for threats.

Too many APIs from unknown sources
GenAI doesn’t check for security risks
Integration with SecOps creates alert fatigue or alert avoidance

Get up to speed with our API Security Starter Pack.

Download now

Next-generation applications are API dependent.

APIs are the building blocks of today's interconnected digital ecosystem, powering the seamless communication between applications that drive modern business operations. However, there's a rapidly expanding API threat landscape that poses a significant risk to organizations.  

If you are not protecting APIs, you are not protecting your applications.