?? BOLA – The #1 API Security Threat (API1:2023)

I'm kicking off a series of articles on API Security ?? to help us—developers ????????—better understand and implement secure coding in our software design. ???

Here is the first one: Broken Object Level Authorization (BOLA)

APIs are the backbone of modern applications, but they also expose vulnerabilities. Broken Object Level Authorization (BOLA) remains the top API security risk according to the OWASP API Security Top 10.

?? What is BOLA?

BOLA occurs when an API fails to properly check if a user is authorized to access or modify a specific object. This can lead to data leaks, account takeovers, and unauthorized actions.

?? How Does BOLA Work?

• A user makes a request to retrieve or modify an object (e.g., /api/orders/1234).
• The API only checks authentication, not authorization (i.e., whether the user owns the object).
• An attacker changes the object ID to another user's ID (e.g., /api/orders/5678) and gains access.

?? Real-World Examples:

? T-Mobile Data Breach (2023): Attackers accessed customer data via insecure APIs.

? Facebook User Data Leak: Poor authorization checks exposed user information.

??? How to Prevent BOLA?

?? Enforce object-level authorization checks on every request.

?? Use least privilege access—restrict users to only their own data.

?? Implement proper session validation and token-based authentication.

?? Perform security testing (manual & automated) to detect BOLA vulnerabilities.

?? Monitor and log API requests to spot suspicious activity.

?? Securing APIs is not an option—it’s a necessity!

Have you encountered BOLA vulnerabilities in your projects? Let's discuss it! ??

#APISecurity #OWASP #CyberSecurity #BOLA #APISecurityTop10 #secureCoding

https://owasp.org/API-Security/editions/2023/en/0xa1-broken-object-level-authorization/