Matrix Marketers is a web development company developing Apis, one must pay attention to security aspects from the beginning. In this post, our developers are going explain security guidelines when developing and testing APIs.

Some security strategies in building APIs are:

Strategy 1: Validate Parameters

The API development starts with the assurance that all the incoming data is validated, authenticated and authorized before using in API. The single most effective defense against parameter manipulation and injection attacks is to validate all incoming data against a strict schema— effectively a description of what is considered permissible inputs to the system. Schema validation should be prohibited to restrict the access of ranges, sets, and even explicit whitelisting, etc, Consider also that the automatically generated schemas produced from many development tools often reduce all parameters to models that are much too broad to be effective at identifying potential threats. Hand-built schemas and white lists are developers favorite as they restrict data inputs without understanding.

One option for XML-based content types is to use the XML schema language, which is highly effective in creating restricted content models and highly constrained structure. For the increasingly common JSON data types, there are several JSON schema description languages. Although not as rich as XML, JSON is far simpler to compose and understand—offering a transparency which actually makes it simpler to secure.

Strategy 2: Apply Explicit Threat Detection

Injection attacks can be protected using good schema validation policy, but consider also explicit scanning for common attack signatures. SQL injection or script injection attacks often betray themselves by following common patterns that are easy to spot by scanning raw input. Consider also that attacks may take other forms, such as a denial of service (DoS). Very large messages, heavily nested data structures, or overly complex data structures can all result in an effective denial-of-service attack that needlessly consumes resources on an affected API server.

Risky encoded content should be protected using virus detection methods. APIs involved in file transfer should decode base64 attachments and submit these to server-grade virus scanning before persisting to a file system where they could be inadvertently activated.

Strategy 3: Turn on SSL Everywhere

Make SSL/TLS the rule for all APIs which must be followed as the basic principle. Adding SSL/TLS and applying this correctly is an effective defense against the risk of man-in-the-middle attacks. SSL/TLS provides integrity on all data exchanged between a client and a server, including important access tokens such as those used in OAuth. It optionally provides client-side authentication using certificates, which is important in many environments.

Strategy 4: Apply Rigorous Authentication and Authorization

User and app identity are concepts that must be implemented and managed separately.

The authorization of incoming IP address, identity context, including practical factors Access time windows, device identification, geolocation, etc. must be checked. The developers are suggested to use the basic libraries rather than building their own.

Strategy 5: Use Proven Solutions

The first rule of security is: Do not invent your own. The best way to secure your API from any type of intrusion is to separate out API implementation and API security into distinct tiers. The logical separation of concern is setup to ensure easy separation of modules.

The API development done in this way allows concentrating completely on the application domain, ensuring that each API is well-designed and promotes integration between different apps. Security then falls into then falls into the domain of the expert, who can focus solely on identity, threats, and data security.

How Do APIs Increase an Organization’s Risk?

The APIs serves as a roadmap describing the implementation of an application that would otherwise be buried under layers of web app functionality. The hackers must not get any hint because of this setup. APIs comprises of clear and self-documenting code, providing insight into internal objects and even internal database structure—all valuable intelligence for hackers. Risk increases with opportunity. But if an organization can address API security as an architectural challenge long before any development takes place, it can reap the rewards of this technological breakthrough safely and securely.

Conclusion

In this post, Matrix Marketers API developers have tried to explain the API security measures and guidelines. Following these guidelines will result in a more secure and quality API service and a more developer-friendly API.

When designing and building APIs you have to pay attention to security aspects whether you are using it in web solution or in an app. To build secure APIs for your next web project, hire our expert team of developers to enjoy good security practices.