With the extensive use of mobile apps and web applications, APIs are extensively used for piping huge bundles of sensitive data. There is a fundamental reliance on APIs in different sectors that demands that API security be highly prioritized. Below are some of the API Security Best Practices.
1. Applying API Authentication Methods
This technique is useful to control the demerits of shared credentials which pose a huge challenge in HTTP basic authentication. By using API authentication, access control is applied to APIs, and users are verified to confirm that it’s them trying to access a remote server.
API authentication is a method of securing APIs that applies in different ways, including HTTP Basic Authentication, OAuth Authentication, and API Key Authentication, as explained here.
- HTTP Basic Authentication combines username and password and, after that, passes it through authorization to be encoded. Authorization is a special HTTP header designed for this purpose. Upon request by the user, the authorization header is compared to the username and the password previously stored. If the credentials submitted by the client match those on the API server, the client is allowed to access it.
- API keys consist of a series of letters and numbers. The user includes these numbers and letters in the request header or URL. Upon authentication of the API by a client, their identity is stamped by the server, and they can access the data remotely. Additionally, there are a few tricks you can implement to increase API security, such as keeping it simple, using password hashes, and checking parameters.
- OAuth Authentication has recently become more popular than the rest and is being embraced by most API management solutions since it does both authentication and authorization. This type of authentication allows applications to communicate with the server to gain access. The user must provide authentication as an access token upon logging into the system. The client forwards the request to an authentication server that accepts or rejects it depending on the authenticity of the access token.
2. Use of rate limiting
To avoid DoS and brute force attacks, REST API security is administered through a process called rate limiting. A developer can set soft limits in some APIs to allow API request limits for a short duration to be exceeded by a client. The best practice is to set timeouts to handle synchronous and asynchronous API requests. The synchronous API request is a blocking call that does not return until the change has been completed or an error has occurred.
The asynchronous calls return immediately while the request is still being processed. APIs accept a maximum number of API requests while putting the rest of the requests in a waiting queue created by Request queue libraries.
3. Scanning for API Vulnerabilities
Part of API management involves identifying vulnerabilities present in an API ecosystem. Enabling API scanning and addressing API vulnerabilities across software lifecycle stages can limit the vulnerability of API services. Automated scanning tools are employed to detect security holes by comparing the configuration of web applications against a known susceptibility database. Through an API vulnerability scanner, the Crashtest Security Suite enables users to establish a continuous testing process while reducing the risks related to API vulnerabilities.
4. Using HTTPS/Transport Layer Security for REST APIs
The use of Transport Layer Security (TLS) and HTTPS in a web API ensures a secure protocol in the transfer of encrypted data between different API endpoints (web browsers and servers). HTTPS protects credentials and other data in transit by ensuring authenticity. Web security teams should consider extra protection of sensitive data and services; they should consider the use of jointly validated client-side certificates.
However, when developing a secure REST API, you should take care to evade the redirection of HTTP to HTTPS, which usually breaks API client security. A reliable API ecosystem implements the use of HTTPS as it offers confidentiality, authenticity, and integrity of input data. A to-do API is implemented here to create a simple to-do list.
5. Use of an API Gateway
API gateways refer to the tools involved in managing API and act as intermediaries between a customer and a group of backend services. API gateways generally handle common tasks used in an API ecosystem for rate limiting, user authentication, and statistics. The challenge of offering clients a simple and reliable API service amid the complexity of web applications is solved efficiently by using an API gateway. The API gateway breaks clients’ requests into multiple requests, routes them to the right places, and keeps track of everything.
6. Use a sufficient input validation
To create API traffic with a mobile app and web API, web security teams should implement input validation structures for both API endpoints. That prevents unwanted inputs. Incoming client data should be in the correct formats and not be blindly trusted, as they may contain malicious data from unauthorized users. The client should also check and indicate possible errors in a given script.
APIs
There are several methods you can use to secure your APIs to prevent data access by unauthorized persons. However, a keen note should be taken of the reliability of each method. This is because some methods can still be cracked by a persistent hacker putting your sensitive data at risk.
