APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) have become critical infrastructure for modern applications, enabling seamless integration and interaction between different systems and services. As their use has skyrocketed, so have the risks associated with them. In fact, according to recent industry reports, API-based attacks have increased by over 400% in the past year alone. One high-profile case involved a major financial institution that suffered a significant data breach due to an undiscovered and unsecured API, which exposed sensitive data for millions of customers. Incidents like this highlight the need for API discovery as part of an AppSec team's toolkit. This blog will explore API discovery and why AppSec professionals must adopt and use it.
The Need for API Discovery Tools
AppSec (Application Security) teams are under immense pressure to protect sensitive data and applications in this rapidly evolving environment. The complexity and speed of modern development often lead to gaps in security coverage, particularly in APIs. This is where API discovery tools come into play. These tools are essential for modern AppSec teams. They enable them to fully understand their API attack surface and proactively secure their applications by analyzing and testing APIs that might otherwise go unprotected in production and testing environments.
Understanding API Discovery Tools
API discovery tools are specialized solutions that automatically identify, catalog, and monitor APIs within an organization’s API footprint. By continuously scanning network traffic, code repositories, and application environments, these tools provide a comprehensive inventory of APIs, including those that might be undocumented or under-documented/protected.
This visibility is crucial in today’s complex application landscape, where the proliferation of APIs, coupled with the fast pace of development, can easily lead to security blind spots, making automatic API discovery a necessity.
Uncover and Understand Your Shadow APIs
In the rush to build and deploy new features, APIs can often be created and pushed to production without proper documentation or oversight. These undocumented APIs, known as shadow APIs, pose a significant security risk. Shadow APIs may result from rapid development, poor communication between teams, or even remnants of old versions of an application that were never fully decommissioned.
Why Are They Dangerous?
Shadow APIs are dangerous because they exist outside the typical security protocols and monitoring systems. They often lack the rigorous security measures applied to documented APIs, such as authentication, rate limiting, and input validation.
This makes them prime targets for attackers, who can exploit these unsecured/unmonitored endpoints, leading to sensitive data exposure or manipulating the application’s functionality. Since these APIs are not part of the official API documentation, they are frequently overlooked during security scans and audits, making them a hidden but significant addition to your attack surface.
How API Discovery Tools Help
API discovery tools are designed to illuminate these shadow APIs by actively scanning network traffic and code repositories to identify every API that an application uses or exposes, including those that are undocumented or unintentionally deployed.
Once identified, shadow APIs can be subject to the same security controls as the rest of the API ecosystem. AppSec teams can assess these APIs for vulnerabilities, implement necessary security measures, and integrate them into their overall security strategy. This proactive approach ensures that no API is left vulnerable to attack, no matter how obscure.
Keeping Up with the Pace of Development
Nowadays, new APIs are being created and deployed rapidly. Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipelines enable development teams to push code changes multiple times a day. While this speed is great for innovation and responsiveness to market demands, it also introduces significant challenges for maintaining security.
Manual tracking of these APIs is not only time-consuming but also prone to errors when done in a manner that keeps up with the speed of business. This leaves gaps that can be juicy targets for hackers. By including automated API discovery tools in the process, security teams can keep pace with the development team.
API Discovery Tools Automate the Process
To keep up with the fast pace of development, automated API discovery tools provide continuous monitoring of your API landscape. These tools integrate seamlessly into your CI/CD pipelines, ensuring that every new or modified API is automatically detected and documented. This real-time visibility allows AppSec teams to avoid potential threats by quickly identifying and mitigating vulnerabilities in newly deployed or updated APIs.
Why This Proactive Approach Is Essential
Continuous API discovery is crucial for ensuring no API goes unnoticed or untested. By continuously monitoring API endpoints, discovery tools help security teams ensure that all APIs are included in security testing, no matter how fast they are developed or how frequently they change.
This proactive approach minimizes the risk of exposure from untracked APIs and ensures that vulnerabilities are identified and addressed before they can be exploited. By providing real-time updates on the API inventory, these tools enable faster response times to security issues, making it easier for AppSec teams to protect the organization’s digital assets effectively.
API Discovery Fosters Collaboration Between Dev, Sec, and Ops Teams
The lines between development, security, and operations are increasingly blurred. However, silos still exist, and these can lead to miscommunication, inefficiencies, and security oversights. API discovery tools are pivotal in bridging these gaps by providing shared visibility into the API landscape across teams. When all teams have access to the same level of visibility about the APIs in use, it fosters better communication and collaboration, fewer misunderstandings, and less miscommunication between teams.
Breaking Down Silos
With API discovery tools, developers, security teams, and operations can all work from a unified inventory of APIs. Developers can quickly identify existing APIs, reducing the likelihood of duplicating effort and ensuring that new APIs are built with awareness of the organization’s current capabilities.
On the other hand, security teams better understand the development process. They can offer more targeted security measures rather than blanket policies that may not fit all scenarios. Understanding the entire API ecosystem benefits operations teams, allowing for better resource allocation and more effective management of API traffic and performance.
The Benefits of Improved Collaboration
This increased collaboration leads to faster identification and remediation of security issues. When security concerns arise, the clear communication channels enabled by API discovery tools ensure they can be addressed swiftly and efficiently. These tools contribute to a more efficient and effective security program by reducing duplication of effort and improving the accuracy of security testing.
As an added benefit, developers and security professionals work more closely together and build mutual respect and understanding, leading to more robust security practices being integrated into the development lifecycle from the outset across the organization.
Regulatory Landscape and API Visibility: Meeting Compliance Requirements
In an era where data breaches can result in hefty fines and irreparable damage to a company’s reputation, regulatory compliance is a non-negotiable. Many industry regulations, such as PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard), HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), and GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), have stringent requirements around data security and privacy. A key aspect of meeting these requirements is having comprehensive visibility into all APIs within your organization.
API Discovery Tools & Compliance
API discovery tools help organizations maintain compliance by providing a detailed and up-to-date inventory of all APIs. This inventory demonstrates to auditors and regulators that your organization has complete control over its data flows and access points. By ensuring that all APIs are accounted for, documented, and secured, these tools reduce the risk of non-compliance, which can lead to penalties and loss of customer trust.
Moreover, many regulations require regular security testing and monitoring of all potential entry points, including APIs. API discovery tools streamline this process by continuously identifying and cataloging APIs, ensuring they are included in security scans and compliance audits. This proactive approach not only helps in avoiding material exceptions and penalties but also strengthens your organization's overall security posture.
Conclusion
As we discussed in this blog, API discovery tools are indispensable for modern AppSec teams, offering several critical benefits:
Uncovering Shadow APIs: They help identify undocumented and potentially vulnerable APIs that attackers could exploit.
Keeping Pace with Development: These tools automate API discovery and tracking, ensuring that no API is left unchecked, no matter how rapidly your development cycle moves.
Enhancing Team Collaboration: Shared visibility into APIs fosters better communication and collaboration between development, security, and operations teams.
Meeting Compliance Requirements: API discovery tools help ensure that all APIs are accounted for and secured, making it easier to meet regulatory requirements and avoid compliance issues.
Explore StackHawk's API Discovery Capabilities
At StackHawk, we understand the challenges of securing modern applications. Our API discovery tools are designed to help uncover, test, and secure all your APIs in one place, ensuring your organization is protected against emerging threats. With StackHawk, you can gain the visibility and control needed to safeguard your applications and maintain compliance in today’s complex digital environment.
Ready to take control of your API security? Learn more about StackHawk’s API discovery features and see how we can help you secure your applications by starting a free trial today.
