API Encryption: Importance, Mechanisms, and How Qodex.ai Enhances Security

The weaknesses in API attract attackers to capture the company’s critical resources. The security challenges occurred from improper security features, authentication, and access control. Knowing the security challenges helps the developer quickly identify and secure the API from internal and external threats. Some of the Security challenges commonly found in the API are as follows.

1. Broken Object Level Authorization

• Broken object-level authorization is a common API security challenge that occurs when the mechanism controlling access to resources or objects within an API is flawed or improperly implemented. This vulnerability allows unauthorized users to gain access to sensitive information or manipulate resources they shouldn’t have access to.

•  Prevention – To mitigate this challenge, developers must define and enforce proper access controls based on user privileges, roles, and the sensitivity of the resources.
  
  

2. Broken User Authentication

• Broken user authentication is an API security challenge that arises when authentication mechanisms are weak or improperly implemented. This vulnerability enables malicious actors to gain unauthorized access to user accounts or sensitive information.

• Prevention – To address this challenge, developers should enforce strong password policies, implement secure password reset functionality, and employ multi-factor authentication where possible.
  
  

3. Redundant Exposure of Data

• Redundant exposure of data is a significant API security challenge that occurs when APIs provide access to more data than necessary, potentially exposing sensitive or confidential information to unauthorized users.

• Prevention – To mitigate this challenge, developers should adopt the principle of least privilege, ensuring that APIs expose only the minimum required information. Data anonymization and pseudonymization techniques can also enhance data privacy and minimize the risk of exposing personally identifiable information.
  
  

4. Inadequate Resources and Request Management

• The attacker sends the request to the API than the specified limit. As a result, it leads to denial of service or interruption of its function.

• Prevention – The developer can avoid it by limiting the number of resource allocations and the number of requests processed by the API at the given time. Then, it will notify the application to process requests within the specified limit.
  
  

5. Disrupted Function Level Authorization

• Authorization acts as a gateway to the critical resources of the organization. The issues in the authorization mechanism enable access to the sensitive resources of the organization. The attacker sending requests to such resources will gain access and steal the data.

• Prevention – It is avoided by applying multi-factor authentication to allow authorized users access to sensitive resources.
  
  

6. Mass Assignment

• Mass Assignment speeds the request process by delivering the input request by automatically assigning the object properties. However, the attacker can alter the object properties to access the organization’s critical resources. It is rectified by manually setting the object identifier and using tools to monitor the abnormal functions of the API.

• Prevention – To prevent mass assignment vulnerabilities, validate and sanitize user input thoroughly, implement strict input filtering, and utilize a whitelist approach for accepting only trusted and expected properties during object assignment.
  
  

7. Security Misconfigurations in API

API misconfiguration refers to weaknesses found in the server favourable for cyber-attackers. It acts as a gateway for cyber threats to enter the organization and disrupt the entire functionalities.

It occurs at any level of the organization, from the system level to the application level. The flaws in the systems, access, and data lead to the compromise of API. It leads to severe data breaches and the stealing of sensitive organizational resources.

Some common misconfiguration that occurs in the Application Programming Interface that question the security of the organization include

Insecure Data Storage and Data Transmission

The organization’s sensitive data, including confidential files, customer details, account details, are not properly encrypted and stored in the databases. As a result, it leads to data breaches that cause severe effects on the organization. In addition, the leakage of critical data brings down its reputation to affect its growth and customer satisfaction.

Passwords

Passwords play a critical role in the security process. It acts as a key to access all sorts of accounts. The passwords are appropriately secured to avoid unauthorized access to essential resources. However, using the same password across all the web applications opens a threat to the organization. Therefore, a proper encryption technique must be followed while sending from one user to another. In addition, the passwords should be encrypted before storing them in any file location.

The security misconfiguration causes severe damage to the organization. The early detection of the misconfiguration helps the organization strengthen its ability to protect from cyber threats. The automated process should be employed to detect the security misconfigurations in API and resolve it.