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In modern software development, APIs serve as the backbone, enabling applications to communicate with each other, integrate with third-party services, and provide a seamless user experience. Sadly, APIs come with a steep price, and unsecured APIs expose sensitive data, provide entry points for cyberattacks, and compromise whole systems.
Development teams face a puzzling conundrum. Business teams expect agile responses to outsized business needs, while the security teams demand proactive ID and remediation of a plausible range of exploitable weaknesses. Often, this strife leads to security vulnerabilities being accepted during the last-minute rush to complete the work, the release is stale and stagnant, and the kill switch is awaiting the right time to be pulled.
ZeroThreat.ai is addressing these problems directly and helps development teams secure APIs during any stage of the development process, simplifying the entire procedure.
Breaches are considered to be a normal occurrence these days due to the sheer volume of exposure. Countless flows are being created, each presenting its unique problems. Recent estimates have suggested that around 80% of exposure is being funneled through API’s, this is also tell the world that leveraging the weaknesses posed by API’s are becoming increasingly easier due to the relaxed and slack enforcement of proper authentication, poor definitions of API’s, negligence during configuring the API’s, and also data exposure weaknesses.
The API data breaches from critical financial and healthcare institutions serve as a vivid reminder of the costly consequences API security weaknesses can inflict. Healthcare businesses (HIPAA), finance (PCI DSS), and SaaS dealing with sensitive data are even more vulnerable to data breaches.
In this environment, the traditional penetration testing approaches have almost become obsolete and cannot keep pace with Agile and DevOps methodologies. Security assessments must now occur in real time, shift to be automated, and occur seamlessly throughout the developmental workflow.
Even the most experienced and skilled teams in development face multifaceted hurdles in API security.
Many teams still depend on outdated and static security evaluations. These assessments are often done right before the systems are scheduled to be deployed, leading to a culture of procrastination dubbed “fix it later.” In this culture, teams tend to ignore vulnerabilities until the later stages of a project, making it costly and burdensome to resolve.
It is a well-known fact that not all developers have the luxury of being security connoisseurs. While most developers know how to create an API, they might not have the extensive penetration testing experience to know how to exploit vulnerabilities like Broken Object Level Authorization (BOLA) and mass assignment vulnerabilities.
In agile environments, development cycles are as short as days and weeks. Business stakeholders tend to view prolonged security reviews as an impediment to production deadlines and releases.
ZeroThreat utilizes automated penetration testing and extensive API vulnerability scanning to provide agile security checks, effectively integrating them into a developer's workflow.
Here's how it works.
Automated, Continuous Testing
ZeroThreat scans APIs for security issues in real time, circumventing the need for manual penetration tests and quarterly reviews. Security gaps are closed as soon as they emerge, aiding teams in production sprint pipelines.
Developer-Friendly Integration
ZeroThreat plugs into CI and CD pipelines. This integration makes security checks an inherent part of the development process, as security checks are performed in parallel to the builds and deployments. Developers receive an immediate appraisal of security compliance.
AI-Generated Remediation Guidance
ZeroThreat alerts users to vulnerabilities in APIs with a breach alert. More than just an alert, ZeroThreat provides clear, actionable steps tailored to the exposed API and the used programming language. Developers receive instructions simplified to the necessary details for swift resolution.
API-Specific Vulnerability Coverage
Different from web application general scanners, Zerothreat focuses on API vulnerabilities, including.
1. BOLA (Broken Object Level Authorization)
2. Broken Authentication.
3. Excessive Data Exposure.
4. Mass Assignment.
5. Rate Limit Issues.
6. Injection (SQL, NoSQL, Command)
Because of its focus on API vulnerabilities, Zerothreat provides a more comprehensive coverage of relevant risks.
One of the most notable benefits of Zerothreat is the speed at which securely covered deliveries can be made. In other workflows, security testing can take days or weeks. With Zerothreat, teams can receive vulnerability reports in minutes, making it easy for fast progress and streamlined remediation without the need for a standstill.
The approach is particularly beneficial for organizations adhering to a devsecops framework. Embedding Zerothreat early in the development process allows teams to shift security to the left, making it proactive instead of chasing after post-release rounds.
APIs are critical in powering crucial applications in mission-critical sectors, which include healthcare, fintech, and SaaS. These sectors incur losses during breaches, facing regulatory penalties, reputational damage, and a significant loss of customer trust.
For instance,
Healthcare: APIs that are poorly secured are capable of exposing sensitive patient information, which would violate HIPAA compliance, leading to significant fines.
Finance: APIs that are compromised have the potential to leak transaction details and grant unauthorized access to accounts.
SaaS: Inadequate API controls can result in attackers gaining unwarranted access to customer information and services.
With ZeroThreat’s automated system, these risks are mitigated before they can be exploited.
Transforming an Organization’s Culture Toward Advanced Security Practices
Technology, in and of itself, is insufficient to address the security problem; it requires an accompanying cultural shift. ZeroThreat enables this shift by:
Visibility: Not only is security made visible to the developers, but they are also shown real-time reports of the vulnerabilities that they have authored.
Reducing Friction: Security testing is as standard as performing unit tests.
Encouraging Collective Responsibility: Security is a shared responsibility, and everyone is working on the same data, including the security and development teams.
ZeroThreat enables organizations to integrate security into the daily workflows of the teams, thereby fostering a security-first culture without hindering the pace of innovation.
The adoption of microservices, serverless architectures, and multi-cloud environments by organizations will only highlight the need to enhance API security. The attack surfaces will be increasingly distributed, and vulnerabilities will be increasingly intricate.
The development teams that are adaptable in this reality are the ones that will treat security as a perpetual, seamless element rather than an inconvenience to deal with at the last minute. ZeroThreat has been crafted with this reality in mind: an API security that is rapid, intuitive, and built around developers.
APIs have emerged as the critical backbone of modern digital transformation, as they are one of the most important touch points for attackers. For development teams, the key challenge is to secure APIs without stifling development.
ZeroThreat provides a solution that fits into development processes seamlessly, enabling rapid vulnerability discovery while integrating development support so developers can resolve issues right away. Providing teams the ability to resolve API security issues faster and more efficiently with the right tools and guidance empowers organizations to keep pace and gain a competitive lead where speed and security are critical.
