Protecting Your Organization: Essential API Security Best Practices

As organizations increasingly rely on APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) to connect their systems and share data, API security has become a critical concern. Unfortunately, as T-Mobile recently found out, a lack of proper API security can have devastating consequences. This month, T-Mobile announced that hackers had exploited a vulnerability in its API during November 2022 and stole the personal data of 37 million customers. This data included names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, and account numbers. Let’s look at the role APIs play in organizations, and we’ll share some API security best practices and technologies to help keep your organization safe.

This breach highlights the importance of properly securing API-based systems, as a single vulnerability can lead to a significant data leak and can cause financial, legal and reputational damage. In this case, T-Mobile failed to properly secure a single API (keep in mind many companies have thousands of APIs), and hackers used this security gap to gain access to sensitive customer data. What are the consequences? Just look at the last time T-Mobile experienced a data breach: T-Mobile’s 2021 data breach cost the company $350 million to settle the resulting class action lawsuit. The company also agreed to $150 million in security improvements, and this is in addition to any remediation and public relations costs.

Why API Security is Important

APIs have become a fundamental part of a modern organization’s operations. They enable organizations to share data and connect systems, which leads to greater efficiency and automation. However, hackers can use API vulnerabilities to steal sensitive data, launch DDoS attacks, or even take control of systems. These types of attacks can have a significant impact on an organization’s operations and reputation.

For example, hackers exploited a Twitter API vulnerability in 2021 to scrape over 200 million Twitter user profiles. The scraped data contained both private (phone numbers and email addresses) and public data that was later leaked to the public and sold on hacker forums. The criminals used that information to create profiles. They entered the exposed email addresses and phone numbers from previous data breaches into the Twitter API, then scraped the corresponding public Twitter data and combined it with the private data. This enabled the criminals to create and sell user profiles on the dark web. Although Twitter fixed the vulnerability in January 2022, the data collected by the threat actors has been circulating and leaking in recent months.

Twitter could have prevented this attack by implementing stronger API security and following API security best practices such as proper authentication, rate limiting, and input validation, as well as regularly reviewing and patching API vulnerabilities. Additionally, the company could have implemented data encryption, monitoring systems to detect and respond to API abuse, and informed users to be cautious about their personal information being used in data breaches.

API security breaches are not limited to just technology companies, as shown in the case of the vulnerability found in the API of 16 car manufacturers, including BMW, Mercedes, and Toyota, as reported by CPO Magazine. This vulnerability allowed hackers to gain access to the car’s system, control the car’s functions, and steal personal data. This is yet another example of how API security breaches can affect not just a company’s reputation and financial stability, but also the safety and security of their customers.

Common API Vulnerabilities

API security vulnerabilities can come in many forms, but some of the most common include:

• Injection attacks: These types of attacks involve injecting malicious code into an API, which can be used to steal data or take control of systems.
• Broken authentication and session management: This type of vulnerability occurs when authentication and session management mechanisms are not properly implemented, allowing unauthorized access to an API.
• Insecure communication: This type of vulnerability occurs when data shared via an API is not properly secured in transit or at rest.
• Lack of access controls: This type of vulnerability occurs when an API does not have proper access controls, allowing unauthorized access to data.
• Misconfigured APIs: This type of vulnerability occurs when an API is not properly configured, leading to security vulnerabilities.

One of the main issues with API security is that it is often overlooked or treated as an afterthought. Many companies focus primarily on securing their networks and systems without giving adequate consideration to the APIs that connect them. However, as the T-Mobile and Twitter incidents demonstrate, APIs can be a major weak point in a company’s security defenses.

In addition to using API security best practices, companies should also be aware of the security risks associated with third-party APIs. Many companies use third-party APIs to connect to external systems and services, but they often fail to properly vet these APIs before integrating them into their systems. This can lead to serious security vulnerabilities and breaches.

API Security Best Practices

API security is a complex issue that requires a multi-layered approach. Here are some API security best practices that organizations can implement to protect their APIs and the data they share:

• Ensure the API itself is secure: This can be achieved by using industry-standard security protocols and authentication methods such as OAuth 2.0 or OpenID Connect.
• Implement proper access controls: This will ensure that only authorized users can access the API and the data it provides.
• Secure the data shared via the API: This can be achieved by encrypting the data in transit and at rest, as well as by properly securing any data storage systems that the API connects to.
• Regularly assess your API security: This can be done by using automated Continuous Attack Surface Monitoring and testing tools to scan for vulnerabilities and by conducting regular penetration testing to identify any weaknesses in the API.
• Monitor and respond: Ensure that you have effective monitoring for suspicious activity and respond quickly to any security incidents that do occur. Endpoint detection and response solutions can be very helpful to monitor and manage this type of activity.
• Work with experienced and reputable security experts: If you need additional support, a risk assessment, or a penetration test, contact a security expert to ensure your APIs are as secure as possible.

In the case of T-Mobile, the company could have prevented the breach by implementing proper API security measures, such as setting up modern authentication and authorization mechanisms to control access to sensitive information and resources, regularly monitoring and logging API activity, and conducting regular security assessments and vulnerability scans. The company could also have trained its employees on secure coding practices and implemented a zero-trust security model to reduce the attack surface. Additionally, they could have implemented rate-limiting and IP blocking mechanisms to prevent excessive or suspicious API requests.

API security is not a one-time effort, but an ongoing process that requires continuous monitoring and improvement. As new threats and vulnerabilities are discovered, companies should update their security measures accordingly. T-Mobile’s recent breach shows how a single API vulnerability can lead to a significant data leak with financial and reputational damage. To avoid similar breaches, businesses must prioritize API security as a critical component of their overall security strategy.

We hope you found this article helpful. Please contact us if you have any questions or need help improving your organization’s API security.