APIs are crucial for modern business operations, enabling seamless communication between applications, services, and users. Because APIs often have elevated access privileges to back-end systems and sensitive data, they are high-value targets for attackers. As a comparison, if a cross-site scripting attack were run on a social media post, where attackers commented with malicious code, the web page itself would only have so much access to sensitive information and even a successful attack would only be able to negatively impact the business so much. APIs, on the other end, are in the heart of back-end operations. If compromised, data breaches, downtime, loss of customer trust, significant reputational harm, and costly compliance violations would be soon to follow.
Many organizations are actively protecting their own APIs, but do they protect against all inbound requests, and are they able to secure requests going toward known and unknown APIs within their domain? All APIs must be protected. They are listed below:
Traditional API security focuses on managing known APIs. Forward-looking API security focuses on the proactive discovery of APIs. Our efforts focus on protecting your APIs, known or unknown, from malicious connection attempts, while also enhancing API visibility
The API protection component of ThreatX by A10 Networks allows organizations to secure their in-use, known or unknown, APIs against all sorts of traffic and the entities behind the requests looking to connect with them. ThreatX can also work in tandem with complementary API discovery tools and API gateway tools to further augment API security. ThreatX provides behavior-based protection, continuous risk scoring, and real-time API traffic analysis across sessions, ensuring that APIs are actively being monitored and protected against all sorts of traffic and the entities behind the requests looking to connect with them, as long as the traffic is routed through the current ThreatX deployment.
The ThreatX defense strategy is aligned with the detect, protect, and identify aspects of the NIST cybersecurity framework.
From an entity perspective, ThreatX correlates contextual digital fingerprinting with existing profiles to create a dynamic risk score that adapts in real time to modifications and obfuscations of attacks.
ThreatX allows organizations to confidently protect their APIs and actively protect against all entities that attempt to connect with their APIs. By greatly lowering false positives, and increasing time-to-value, ThreatX helps security teams focus on the most crucial tasks, delivering uninterrupted services, maintaining customer trust, and enabling unhindered business growth.
For more information, visit A10Networks.com/solutions/security/api-protection.
A10 Networks (NYSE: ATEN) provides secure application services for on-premises, multi-cloud and edge-cloud environments at hyperscale. Our mission is to enable service providers and enterprises to deliver business- critical applications that are secure, available and efficient for multi-cloud transformation and 5G readiness. We deliver better business outcomes that support investment protection, new business models and help future-proof infrastructures, empowering our customers to provide the most secure and available digital experience. Founded in 2004, A10 Networks is based in San Jose, Calif. and serves customers globally.
For more information, visit A10networks.com and follow us @A10Networks.
Malicious connections to APIs expose your organization to serious security risks
Deliver holistic, behavior-based protection for all public API connections and traffic routed through the current ThreatX deployment
