API Security: Best Practices to Minimize Security Risks

Companies, consumers, and developers use APIs on a daily basis. An application programming interface allows two pieces of software to communicate with each other, and while it is an essential tool for software development nowadays, it does come with its vulnerabilities.

From DDoS attacks to injection SQLs and cross-site scripting, there are numerous vulnerabilities that, when exploited, can lead to your app or software leaking sensitive user and business data. Needless to say, it is imperative for developers and business leaders to protect their APIs as much as possible in order to keep the users and consumers safe, and to safeguard sensitive data like banking information, personal accounts and credit card information, and more.

While you might be familiar with the risks associated with poor API security, you might be wondering how to best protect your APIs. Here are the API security best practices you should leverage to prevent brute force attacks and keep important data safe.

Keep current security risks in mind

First and foremost, if you are to create a secure API or boost the security of an existing programming interface, you have to be aware of the most prevalent tools and techniques used to breach API security. Keep in mind that cyber-criminals are becoming more proficient by the day, and that they are not only using the tried-and-tested methods, but are also innovating in order to increase their chances of a successful data breach.

Protecting APIs is becoming increasingly important in a world where open banking platforms use APIs to deliver a seamless banking experience to customers, as there is a lot of sensitive information passing through the system. If a data breach occurs, cyber-criminals could get access to accounts and funds, as well as entire customer identities.

With that in mind, the most prevalent security risks include:

• Bad coding.
• Not validating SSL and TLS certificates. 
• Poor or non-existent data encryption.
• Insecure API key generation.
• Exposure to DDoS attacks.
• Poor server security.
• Poor logging and monitoring.
• Poor authorization and access control.
• Cross-site scripting.
• SQL injection.

Leverage encryption and manage access

To protect data efficiently and secure all the APIs your business is using, you need to prioritize data encryption. This ensures that the data communicated by the API from one piece of software to the other cannot be read or deciphered if accessed or intercepted. It’s also important to note that encryption is a foundational element of API security, and you can’t expect your APIs to stay secure without it.

Now that APIs are used in insurance, banking, healthcare, and many other industries handling sensitive consumer data, it is imperative to leverage encryption, but also to carefully manage access to data.

The best ways to ensure website security along with software and app security would be to use a reliable encryption protocol like TLS/SSL. You have to make sure that you structure your encryption properly and control access in order to allow certain personnel with access privileges to modify and decrypt the data.

If you relinquish access to the wrong person or don’t implement stringent access control, you leave your APIs vulnerable to data breaches.

Conduct regular API security testing

Checking for potential vulnerabilities in your APIs should be standard operating procedure in order to allow your API engineers to plug any security holes and prevent data breaches and leaks. There are several ways you can conduct API security tests, which used to be done manually through penetration testing and manual scanning for security vulnerabilities.

While these methods are still valid, nowadays engineers can employ API monitoring tools to identify security loopholes, as well as dynamic and static API security tests. A dynamic API security test will simulate a real-world attack on your API in order to bring out potential vulnerabilities, but it is best to combine it with static testing as well as software composition analysis (SCA).

A static security analysis focuses on the coding behind the API to uncover code vulnerabilities, while software composition analysis will use a database of known vulnerabilities to see if your API is at risk. Combining all three security tests will provide you with a detailed overview of the state of your APIs and allow you to implement comprehensive counter-measures. 

Delete sensitive information before publishing

Before you let your API go public, you have to make sure that you’re not leaving behind any sensitive information that shouldn’t be there. During the development phase, developers may leave a bunch of sensitive data in the API, like passwords or keys, which they might forget or to delete prior to publishing.

While you might think that this cannot happen in your team, it’s always worth double checking and running a second sweep of your APIs before you make them public in order to prevent data leaks. This is especially important when you’re trying to secure payments for your eCommerce website as much as possible, but also protect user privacy and payment data in your app or software solution.

If you leave any passwords or encryption keys behind, you’re giving cyber-criminals a way to access the core data and change the API without your knowledge. This could have disastrous consequences for your business as a whole. 

Employ an API security gateway

Using a secure web gateway has become commonplace in the modern business world, in order to control network traffic, authorize and identify users, and enable preemptive network protection and monitoring. You can and should do the same for your APIs by utilizing an API security gateway to protect big data and stay agile, as well as minimize security risks overall.

An API security gateway allows you to monitor and validate all traffic flowing through your API, which helps you spot security risks or any suspicious activity. You can use the API security gateway to retain traffic control and even dictate how the API is utilized, giving the API as a whole more protection against cyber-criminals.

A robust API gateway will also analyze and assess the traffic flow using rate limiting and throttling. There are many features and protection measures that a good API gateway can employ, including last-mile security to the API’s backend services.

Put API firewalls to work

On a final note, utilizing API firewalls will allow you to secure your code and architecture, acting as a single entry point for entry and exit traffic to your API. It’s essential to have API firewalls in order to fully protect the architecture, and you can structure your firewalls into two layers.

The first layer is a DMZ network, short for a demilitarized zone. A DMZ acts as a perimeter guard for your entire API network and a buffer between you and the outside world. This buffer will help the API’s firewall and gateway system to check all incoming traffic, launch preemptive countermeasures to injections and DDoS attacks, and more.

The second firewall layer is your LAN security system, typically used in the form of a hardware firewall. This system acts as a physical barrier between your API network and the internet, and it helps prevent intrusions and unauthorized access.

Together, these firewalls will ensure your APIs stay safe and all sensitive data remains impervious to any malicious online activity.

Over to you

Protecting your APIs should be your no.1 priority when you’re developing apps, websites, and various SaaS products. Whether you’re a business leader or a developer, make sure to use these best practices to ensure stellar security and protect your brand, your product, and all users in the increasingly dangerous online world.