How do you identify and mitigate API security risks in web apps?

1 Authentication and authorization

APIs need to verify the identity and permissions of the clients that access them, otherwise they can expose sensitive data or functionality to unauthorized parties. To prevent this, you should implement strong authentication and authorization mechanisms for your APIs, such as using tokens, keys, certificates, or OAuth. You should also enforce secure communication protocols, such as HTTPS or SSL, and encrypt the data in transit and at rest.

3 Rate limiting and throttling

APIs need to limit the number and frequency of requests they accept from the clients, otherwise they can be vulnerable to denial-of-service (DoS) attacks, which can overload the server and affect the performance or availability of the web app. To prevent this, you should implement rate limiting and throttling mechanisms for your APIs, such as using quotas, counters, or tokens. You should also monitor the traffic and load on your server and use caching, load balancing, or scaling techniques to optimize the resource utilization.

4 Error handling and logging

APIs need to handle the errors and exceptions that occur during their execution and log the relevant information, otherwise they can expose sensitive data or information to the clients or attackers, such as stack traces, configuration details, or internal logic. To prevent this, you should implement proper error handling and logging mechanisms for your APIs, such as using custom error messages, hiding the details of the errors, and logging only the necessary information. You should also protect the logs from unauthorized access or modification and review them regularly for any suspicious or anomalous activity.

5 Testing and auditing

APIs need to be tested and audited for security vulnerabilities and compliance with the best practices and standards, otherwise they can remain unnoticed or unpatched and pose a risk to the web app and its users. To do this, you should use various tools and methods to test and audit your APIs, such as using automated scanners, manual testers, or third-party auditors. You should also follow a secure development lifecycle (SDLC) for your APIs and implement security policies and procedures for your API development and maintenance.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?