a Comprehensive overview on types of APIs and Vulnerabilities designed by Muqaddas
APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) have become an essential part of modern software development, enabling different systems to communicate and work together efficiently. In my presentation, "Types of APIs and Their Vulnerabilities," I, Muqaddas Bin Tahir, discuss the primary types of APIsOpen APIs, Internal APIs, Composite APIs, and Partner APIsalong with the vulnerabilities that come with them. Each type of API serves distinct purposes, with varying levels of access, making them critical components in different organizational structures. However, alongside their advantages, they also pose significant security risks if not properly managed.
Open APIs, also known as public APIs, are accessible to external developers and users, typically with minimal restrictions. They provide a powerful way to extend the reach of services by enabling integration with third-party applications. Examples include APIs from social media platforms like Twitter or Facebook, or services like Google Maps. While open APIs drive innovation, they are also susceptible to security risks, including unauthorized access, data breaches, and Denial of Service (DoS) attacks due to their public nature.
On the other hand, Internal APIs, or private APIs, are used exclusively within an organization. These APIs facilitate communication between internal systems, providing greater control over data sharing and service integrations. However, even though they are more secure than open APIs, they are still vulnerable to insider threats, weak authentication, and poor access control measures. If internal employees with malicious intent exploit internal APIs, they can potentially access sensitive information, posing a significant risk to organizations.
Composite APIs, which aggregate multiple service requests into a single call, are commonly used in complex environments such as microservices architectures. These APIs reduce network latency and simplify interactions between services, providing a more efficient means of handling multiple requests. However, composite APIs introduce security risks due to their complexity. If one service within the composite is compromised, it can lead to a breach in the entire system, exposing multiple datasets to potential attackers. Additionally, securing multiple endpoints and mitigating the risk of DoS attacks becomes more challenging with composite APIs, as their failure could simultaneously impact multiple systems.
Partner APIs are designed for specific external developers or business partners, typically for business-to-business (B2B) interactions. These APIs require stringent authentication and authorization processes to ensure that only trusted partners have access. Despite their restricted access, partner APIs can still be vulnerable to attacks stemming from credential theft or security flaws in partner organizations.
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TYPES OF API & vulnerabilities (Muqaddas Bin Tahir) .pptx
2. MUQADDAS BIN TAHIR
Types of
APIs
Open APIs
Open-source application
programming interfaces Also
known as Public API, there are no
restrictions to access these types of
APIs because they are publicly
available.
Open APIs can been can been
access by any developer.
3. Types of
APIs
Partner APIs This API exposed
to a particular person. A
developer needs specific rights or
licenses in order to access this
type of API because they are not
publicly available.
Partner APIs can been access by
only authorized developers.
MUQADDAS BIN TAHIR
4. Types of
APIs
Internal APIs Also known as
Private APIs, This type of apis will
remain hidden from external users.
Internal APIs are implemented for
internal use within a company.
Many orginasation uses this type of
API among the different internal
teams to improve its products and
services.
Internal APIs can been access by
only internal teams.
MUQADDAS BIN TAHIR
5. MUQADDAS BIN TAHIR
Types of
APIs
Composite APIs This type of API
uses to combines different data and
service APIs. By using this services
developers can access several
endpoints in a single call. Its main
uses are to speed up the process of
execution and improve the
performance of the end user at the
web interfaces.
Composite APIs are used to
combine multiple APIs.
7. MUQADDAS BIN TAHIR
Vulnerabilit
y
Vulnerability A vulnerability is a
loophole or error in a system or devices
code.
It is exploited to compromise the CIA
(confidentiality, integrity and availability)
of data stored in the system through
unauthorized access to cause denial of
service or to theft the data.
8. MUQADDAS BIN TAHIR
Vulnerabilit
y
Vulnerability A vulnerability is a
loophole or error in a system or devices
code.
It is exploited to compromise the CIA
(confidentiality, integrity and availability)
of data stored in the system through
unauthorized access to cause denial of
service or to theft the data.
10. MUQADDAS BIN TAHIR
Vulnerabilit
y
Broken Object Level Authorization
Broken object-level authorizations
(BOLA) is also known as insecure
direct object reference (IDOR). This
issue occurs when the server does
not properly verify if the currently
authorized user or an unauthorized
user is accessing data to read,
update or delete an object to which
they are not having the rights.
11. MUQADDAS BIN TAHIR
Vulnerabilit
y
Broken User Authentication
Poor implementation of API
authentication allows attackers to
predict other users identities.
In more general terms, broken user
authentication occurs when an API
having an authentication system but
does not in working, or that the
implemented authentication system
fails in some cases, allowing attackers
to project himself as an authenticated
user.
12. MUQADDAS BIN TAHIR
Vulnerabilit
y
Excessive Data Exposure
API should be limited to provide access
for the data to the front-end clients but
sometimes developers will make a
mistake or take the some easy shortcut
and develop the APIs that provide
access for all data to the client.
When these API's provide access too
more data then the user needs, we call
it as a Excessive Data Exposure.
13. MUQADDAS BIN TAHIR
Vulnerabilit
y
Lack of Resources & Rate Limiting
If the API is not protected against an
excessive amount of requests or
payload sizes.
There will be a possiblility for an
attackers to use this for Denial of
Service (DoS) and authentication flaws
like brute force attacks.
14. MUQADDAS BIN TAHIR
Vulnerabilit
y
Broken Function Level Authorization
If the API provide access to the client to
use user level or admin level APIs as
appropriate.
If attackers figure out the hidden
admin API methods of admin access
and access them directly.
15. MUQADDAS BIN TAHIR
Vulnerabilit
y
Mass Assignment
If the API takes data from the client and
stores it without proper filtering for
whitelisted properties or guidelines.
There is a possibility that attackers can
try to predict object properties or add
additional object parameters in their
requests, to read the documentation,
or check out weather the API endpoints
for clues where to find the openings to
modify parameter that they are not
supposed to impact the data objects
stored in the backend.
16. MUQADDAS BIN TAHIR
Vulnerabilit
y
Security Misconfiguration
Lack of security configuration and
providing access of the API servers to
clients, which allows attackers to
exploit the vulnerabilities to gain access
into the server.
17. MUQADDAS BIN TAHIR
Vulnerabilit
y
Injection
Attackers will been able to construct
API calls that include SQL, NoSQL,
LDAP, OS, or other commands on that
the API request and the backend
behind it blindly executes that api
request leads to the injection.
18. MUQADDAS BIN TAHIR
Vulnerabilit
y
Improper Assets Management
Attackers find an un-updated versions
of the API (for example, staging,
testing, beta, or earlier versions) that
are not well protected or secured as the
production of API, and attacker use
those to launch their attacks.
19. MUQADDAS BIN TAHIR
Vulnerabilit
y
Insufficient Logging & Monitoring
Lack of proper monitoring of data and
traffic of the network passing into the
server and logging activities and
alerting incase case of unauthorized
access or activity will open doors for an
attacker.