Best Practices for API Security

Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) are the doorway to your closely guarded data. They're instrumental in allowing communication between different applications, and as such their security should be a top priority.

The challenge then becomes: How do we keep the doors open for the API ecosystem while simultaneously guarded against thieves and hackers?

Here are the most common ways to execute:

Encryption

Ideally, you should encrypt all network traffic, but your API requests and responses must be. Enable? HTTP Strict Transport Security wherever possible, rather than directing HTTP traffic to HTTPS, as doing so may cause API clients to behave unexpectedly.

Use Authentication

Authentication is the process of verifying a user's identity. It pulls off the mask of anyone who wants to see your information to add another layer of protection to your data.?

Always know who is calling your APIs by using one of the following methods:?

• HTTP Basic Authentication (users need to provide an ID and password)
• API Key (users need a unique identifier configured for each API and known to API Gateway)
• Token Entry (users need a token generated by an Identity Provider (IdP) server)

Validate your Data

Never assume API data has been validated correctly. It's essential to implement your own data cleaning and validation routines. Debugging tools such as Postman and Chrome DevTools can help examine the API's data flow and track errors and anomalies. This will help to prevent standard injection flaws and cross-site request forgery attacks.

Don't Overshare

Share only necessary information. Often, API responses include an entire data record rather than just the relevant fields, relying on the client application to filter what a user sees. This sort of lazy programming not only slows response times but also provides attackers with additional information about the API and the resources it accesses.

Display as little information as possible in your answers, especially in error messages. Lock down email subjects and content to predefined messages that can't be customized.

Test, and Test Again

You need to monitor, audit, and catalog your API continuously. Keep the history as long as it is reasonable in terms of your system capacity. Your logs can be a valuable resource for debugging any future incidents.?

Remember to add the version on all APIs, preferably in the path of the API, to offer several APIs of different versions working and to retire and depreciate one version over the other.

Delegate

Just as a good manager delegates responsibility, so does a great API. It's best practice to delegate authorization and/or authentication of your APIs to third-party Identity Providers (IdP).

Maintain your Infrastructure

A good API should lean on a good security network, infrastructure, and up-to-date software to be solid and always benefit from the latest security fixes.

Utilize the Experts

Don't be afraid to ask for help. ETHANY offers regular software testing and quality assurance services for all software types, including any Power Purchase Agreements or custom-developed software you currently use. We aim to ensure that your product or service is optimized to the end user's needs and interests to help streamline your business operations. Call us today to schedule a free strategy session.?