API security focuses on protecting application interfaces from unauthorized access, data exposure, abuse, and flaws in authentication or design.
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Background for this topic.
Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) are sets of rules that allow software applications to communicate and exchange data, often enabling functionality across different systems or services. APIs define how requests and responses are structured, making it possible for programs to interact without direct user involvement. In cybersecurity, APIs are commonly exposed over networks as endpoints that handle sensitive operations like data retrieval, user authentication, or transaction processing.
APIs increase the attack surface by exposing endpoints that attackers can target with unauthorized access attempts, injection attacks, or denial-of-service. Common risks include weak or missing authentication, insufficient input validation, and improper rate limiting. Effective API security requires strong authentication protocols (e.g., OAuth), strict input validation to prevent injection, rate limiting to mitigate abuse, and comprehensive logging to detect anomalies. Protecting APIs is critical to prevent data leaks, privilege escalation, and service disruption in interconnected environments.
The secret use of other people's generative AI platforms, wherein hijackers gain unauthorized access to an LLM while someone else foots the bill, is getting quicker and stealthier by the month.
Also: Addressing AI Vulnerabilities and Governance ChallengesDeepSeek, an advanced open-source AI model, is under scrutiny for its safety guardrails failing multiple security tests and a data leak that exposed user information and API keys. Sam Curry, CISO at Zscaler, discusses AI security, risk management and upcoming U.S. policy changes.
Tom Kellermann's Annual Report on Key Threats to Financial SectorZero days. Supply chain attacks. APIs and cloud environments as growing threat vectors. These are among the topics discussed in this seventh annual Modern Bank Heists report, and author Tom Kellermann discusses their impact on financial institutions - and which defensive gaps need to be filled now.
Cisco has released updates to address two critical security flaws Identity Services Engine (ISE) that could allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands and elevate privileges on susceptible devices
Cybersecurity researchers have disclosed details of a now-patched vulnerability impacting the Microsoft SharePoint connector on Power Platform that, if successfully exploited, could allow threat actors to harvest a user's credentials and stage follow-on attacks