API Penetration Test
An API Penetration Test validates the design & security of data portals between companies to ensure that they do not disclose critical information and work as intended.
Locking Down The Data Highway
Application Programming Interfaces (API) are increasingly becoming the preferred method of data exchange between businesses. The efficiency and ease of use makes APIs an attractive means of communication. They may be deployed in a variety of configurations: customer-facing, partner-facing and internal applications. They have direct links from the Internet to critical internal assets on both data centers and in the cloud. API’s expose internal application logic and present a doorway to reach sensitive data making them a prime target for attackers.
Often businesses put a considerable amount of effort into developing APIs without a thought to their security.
Developers may spin up new API connections without considering proper coding standards and investing enough time in securing them. An insufficient amount of thought is spent understanding and documenting the flow of data through APIs. There can be a lack of authentication and authorization, increasing the attack surface and leading to the exposure of critical assets and data. Consider the following threats to API cybersecurity:
API Sprawl
API Sprawl is also a growing risk to companies. It can be in the form of an unchecked proliferation of Third Party APIs, Shadow APIs and Zombie APIs.
Third Party APIs
Third party APIs are offered by external partners to access their systems. It’s important to properly understand the security implications of this access so as not to expose critical data.
Shadow APIs
A Shadow API is an API that is not under the direct control of the company and has not been managed or secured by the organization using it.
Zombie APIs
A Zombie API is an old, unaccounted for and forgotten API that is still running continuously in the background. It may have been replaced by an upgraded version but is still left running. It may have been left in place to satisfy the whims of a client who refuses to upgrade. Some Zombie API’s were created as a test platform - but then forgotten.
A Comprehensive API Penetration Test from Cybermode reviews company APIs in use to provide intelligence as to their security posture. The following is representative of the testing methodology.
- Discovery and Enumeration (Inventory all APIs: Company, Third Party, and Shadow, etc.,)
- Documentation Review (Identification of API purpose)
- Data Flow Analysis (Diagraming the path of data through the API & Identify trust boundaries)
- Enumerating and Understanding API input and outputs (i.e. headers, cookies, url parameters, etc)
- Reviewing & Testing the API's authentication method(s) in use
- Understanding the API's full attack surface
Application Programming Interfaces (API) are projected to grow in popularity as the preferred method of communication between businesses. Along with this growth will come increasing attacks from threat actors. A yearly API Cybersecurity assessment from Cybermode will protect this valuable asset ensuring its usefulness in the fulfillment a company’s business mission.
