API Attack Surface
The API attack surface in cybersecurity refers to the total set of points where an Application Programming Interface (API) interacts with the outside world. It encompasses all the ways an attacker can attempt to gain unauthorized access or cause harm through the API.
Here's a breakdown of what constitutes the API attack surface:
Endpoints: These are the specific URLs or entry points that the API exposes. Each endpoint is a potential target for an attacker.
Operations: These are the actions that can be performed at each endpoint (e.g., GET, POST, PUT, DELETE). Attackers may try to exploit vulnerabilities in how these operations are handled.
Input Parameters: APIs receive data through parameters. Attackers can manipulate these parameters to inject malicious code or cause unexpected behavior.
Authentication and Authorization: The mechanisms that control access to the API are a critical part of the attack surface. Weaknesses in these mechanisms can allow unauthorized access.
Data Exchange: The format and structure of data sent to and received from the API are also part of the attack surface. Attackers may try to intercept or manipulate this data.
Understanding and minimizing the API attack surface is crucial for protecting APIs from various threats.
ThreatNG is designed to provide a comprehensive solution for managing the risks associated with APIs, offering a range of capabilities.
ThreatNG's external discovery capability is crucial for identifying all APIs an organization exposes. It performs purely external unauthenticated discovery, meaning it can identify an organization's digital footprint without needing internal access or credentials.
This is particularly important for discovering APIs that might be undocumented, reside on unexpected subdomains, or be part of legacy systems.
Example: ThreatNG can automatically discover subdomains
api.company.comor identify APIs used by mobile applications, providing a comprehensive view of an organization's API footprint.
ThreatNG provides various external assessment ratings that help evaluate the security posture of discovered APIs.
Cyber Risk Exposure: This assessment analyzes factors like certificates, subdomain headers, vulnerabilities, and sensitive ports to determine the overall cyber risk exposure.
Example: ThreatNG can detect APIs with expired TLS certificates, weak authentication mechanisms, or that communicate over unencrypted channels, highlighting significant security risks.
Web Application Hijack Susceptibility: This assessment evaluates the potential for attackers to hijack web applications, which often include or rely on APIs.
Example: ThreatNG can identify vulnerabilities in API authentication or authorization that could allow an attacker to gain control of a web application and its associated APIs.
Code Secret Exposure: This capability identifies code repositories and their exposure levels, checking for the presence of sensitive data, such as API keys or credentials.
Example: ThreatNG can find exposed API keys in public GitHub repositories, which could enable unauthorized access to APIs.
ThreatNG provides detailed reports that help security teams understand and address API-related risks.
These reports can include technical details about discovered APIs, prioritized lists of vulnerabilities, and executive summaries of the overall API security posture.
Example: ThreatNG can generate a report that lists all discovered API endpoints, highlights those with critical vulnerabilities, and provides recommendations for remediation.
ThreatNG continuously monitors the external attack surface to detect any changes to APIs or their security posture.
This is crucial because APIs can evolve rapidly, and new vulnerabilities or misconfigurations can be introduced.
Example: ThreatNG can detect the deployment of a new API endpoint or a change in an API's authentication mechanism, triggering an alert for security review.
ThreatNG's investigation modules provide in-depth information and tools for analyzing discovered APIs.
Domain Intelligence: This module offers a comprehensive view of an organization's domain, including:
Domain Overview: This feature identifies related SwaggerHub instances, which provide API documentation and specifications, enabling security professionals to understand the API's functionality and structure.
Subdomain Intelligence: This feature analyzes subdomains, which are often used to host APIs, and can extract information about API endpoints, server technologies, and security headers.
Example: The Subdomain Intelligence module can identify all subdomains related to an organization and determine if they host API endpoints. Additionally, it can detect the presence or absence of security headers on those API servers.
Sensitive Code Exposure: This module identifies public code repositories and reveals sensitive information, such as API keys or credentials, that can be exploited to compromise APIs.
Example: ThreatNG can identify a public GitHub repository that contains an exposed API key, allowing security teams to revoke the key and prevent unauthorized access.
Search Engine Exploitation: This module helps identify API endpoints or documentation that may be unintentionally exposed to search engines, increasing the risk of unauthorized access.
Example: ThreatNG can discover publicly indexed API documentation that reveals sensitive information about API functionality or authentication mechanisms.
ThreatNG's intelligence repositories enrich the findings with context and threat intelligence.
Known Vulnerabilities: ThreatNG's database of known vulnerabilities can be cross-referenced with the technologies used by discovered APIs to identify potential exploits.
Example: If ThreatNG discovers an API running on a server with a known vulnerability, it will flag this as a high-risk finding.
Compromised Credentials: ThreatNG's data on compromised credentials can help assess the risk of those credentials being used to access APIs.
Example: If ThreatNG identifies compromised credentials that have access to an API, security teams can take proactive measures to mitigate the risk.
Working with Complementary Solutions
ThreatNG is designed to work in conjunction with other security tools to provide a more comprehensive security posture.
SIEM (Security Information and Event Management): ThreatNG's findings can be integrated into a SIEM to correlate external attack surface data with internal security events, providing a more complete picture of API-related threats.
Example: ThreatNG detects a potential vulnerability in an API and sends an alert to the Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) system. The SIEM then correlates this with unusual traffic patterns to the API server, potentially indicating an active attack.
Vulnerability Management Tools: ThreatNG complements internal vulnerability scanners by providing an external perspective on API security.
Example: ThreatNG discovers an externally exposed API with outdated software. This information can be used to prioritize internal vulnerability scanning of the API server.
API Security Gateways: ThreatNG's discovery and assessment capabilities provide valuable input for API security gateways, which can enforce security policies and protect APIs from attacks.
Example: ThreatNG's assessment reveals authentication weaknesses in an API. This information can be used to configure the API security gateway to require stronger authentication for that API.
