API (Application Programming Interface) security is essential for businesses that expose APIs to external parties or use third-party APIs to access sensitive data. APIs allow different software systems to communicate with each other, but they also present a potential security risk if not adequately secured. Many successful API hacks have impacted prominent businesses like Facebook, Venmo, Twitter, and even United States Postal Services, putting security practices a priority. Fortunately, there are some tactics that the API marketplace and other API developers can adopt to safeguard sensitive data. Let’s discuss them!

Types of API Cyberattacks

Cyber attacks are one of the most common phenomena in the API ecosystem. So, before getting into the security practices, let us first understand the type of API cyberattack that the API marketplace should never neglect. Many different types of cyberattacks can target APIs, and some common types of API attacks include:

• Injection attacks involve injecting malicious code into an API to execute unauthorized commands or access sensitive data. Examples of injection attacks include SQL and cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks.
• Authentication attacks involve attempting to bypass or subvert the authentication mechanisms of an API to gain unauthorized access. Examples of authentication attacks include brute-force attacks, where an attacker tries to guess a user’s password, and man-in-the-middle attacks, where an attacker intercepts and modifies the communication between a user and the API.
• Denial of Service (DoS) attacks involve overwhelming an API with traffic to make it unavailable to legitimate users. DoS attacks can be launched using botnets, networks of compromised devices that can generate large amounts of traffic. The API ecosystem must be built to overcome these attacks effectively.
• Data leakage: These attacks involve extracting sensitive data from an API, directly accessing it, or exploiting vulnerabilities in the API’s security controls.

API Security Best Practices

It’s essential to protect your API against those mentioned above and other types of attacks to ensure the security and reliability of your application. API security can be achieved by implementing API security best practices into the API marketplace and development process. Let’s get to the point:

Use secure communication protocols

One of the most critical steps in securing an API is to use secure communication protocols such as HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure). HTTPS encrypts the communication between the client and the server, making it more difficult for attackers to intercept and view the transmitted data.

Implement proper authentication and authorization

API authentication ensures that only authorized users can access the API in the API marketplace. This can be done using various methods such as basic authentication, API keys, and OAuth (Open Authorization). API keys are unique identifiers provided to the developer when they sign up for an API and are used to authenticate API requests. OAuth is an open standard for authorization that allows users to grant third-party applications access to their resources without sharing their credentials.API authorization determines whether an authenticated user has the right to perform a specific action on the API. This can be implemented using role-based access control (RBAC), where users are assigned different roles with different permissions.

Use JSON Web Tokens (JWTs) for stateless authentication

JSON Web Tokens (JWTs) are a popular way to implement stateless authentication for APIs. JWTs are signed and encoded JSON objects that contain helpful information such as the user’s ID, name, and other relevant data. They can be sent in the header of an API request, and the server can decode and verify the JWT to authenticate the user. One of the advantages of JWTs is that they are self-contained and do not require the server to store any session state, which makes them easy to scale and manage.

Implement input validation

API input validation is the process of checking user input to ensure that it is valid and meets the requirements of the API. This is an essential step in preventing injection attacks, where an attacker attempts to inject malicious code into the API ecosystem through user input. Proper input validation can help to prevent these types of attacks by ensuring that the input is sanitized and meets the requirements.

Use HTTP headers for security

HTTP headers can be used to add an extra layer of security to an API of marketplace API. Some standard HTTP headers that are used for security purposes include the following:

• X-Frame-Options: This header prevents clickjacking attacks by specifying whether the API can be loaded in a frame or iframe.
• X-XSS-Protection: This header enables the browser’s cross-site scripting (XSS) protection.
• X-Content-Type-Options: This header is used to prevent content-type sniffing, a technique attackers use to bypass security measures.
• Strict-Transport-Security: This header is used to enforce HTTPS on the API.
• Use rate limiting

Rate limiting is limiting the number of requests an API can receive from a particular user or IP address within a specific time frame. This can help prevent API abuse and protect against denial of service (DoS) attacks.

Use tokens for secure communication between microservices

Using tokens for secure communication between microservices is a common practice to ensure that only authorized microservices can access each other’s APIs. There are several ways to implement token-based authentication for microservices. One common approach is to use JSON Web Tokens (JWTs), self-contained tokens containing a JSON payload with information about the token’s issuer and intended audience. JWTs can be signed using a secret key, allowing the receiving microservice to verify the token’s authenticity.Using tokens can help ensure that only authorized microservices can access each other’s APIs. Additionally, it ensures that the communication between microservices is secure.Want to learn more about API Practices? Consider reading API Security: The Best Practices to Protect Your Business.

Wrapping Up

In conclusion, implementing API security best practices is crucial for safeguarding sensitive data and maintaining the integrity of your systems. You can ensure that your API security is up to par and protect your sensitive data from potential threats by implementing the right strategies in your API Marketplace. You can explore products and solutions DAC to get the most out of your APIs.