Securing your APIs - The Development Stage
This is the first of a three-part blog about the importance of the full-lifecycle approach for API security.
The other two parts cover the testing stage and the production stage.
APIs serve as the building blocks of modern application architectures and system design. A system often requires APIs to provide access to its resources, and most of the traffic on the web today goes through them. Almost every line of code that is written uses an API in some way, as these capabilities help organizations speed up and lower the cost of app development while enabling flexibility and simplifying design, administration, and use. At the same time, they drive innovation in creating new tools and products or managing current ones.
The Lifecycle Approach
API security means securing APIs from attacks rather than more generic server security.
The heavy use of APIs has resulted in a significantly expanded attack surface as there are many entry points to an organization's network. Traditional security solutions may be irrelevant, having no way of distinguishing between legitimate and malicious API calls. APIs, by their very nature, expose sensitive data like Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and application functionality, making them a primary target for attackers.
Since APIs are constantly created and updated, iterative review is required at every stage of the software development lifecycle to ensure protection during production and improve security by continuously removing vulnerabilities in code.
This blog explains why you need a solution for your development stage.
The Development Stage
In all industries, the earliest possible discovery and remediation of vulnerabilities and errors can help eliminate security incidents. Therefore, API security in the development stage is crucial for the security of your APIs and applications. Unfortunately, many developers in the industry are unaware of the importance of securing APIs or the risks APIs bring with them and use them without much consideration. Unfortunately, this behavior can introduce vulnerabilities that your API monitoring tools won't detect.
Here are four best practices:
Wib API Code Analysis
Wib's API Code Analysis features protect your product right from the very beginning. The primary objective of Wib API Code Analysis is to warn you of anything that appears to be normal but could be risky. Wib can:
Many developers use APIs without thinking about the security consequences. As a result, attackers will try to figure out how to invoke your APIs directly. Wib ensures that your organization establishes a continuous improvement and efficiency model for API security, starting with development. It provides complete visibility and insights for identifying, prioritizing and eliminating vulnerabilities, preventing recurring errors, and keeping your user's data safe.