If you’re tasked with leading the security testing for your organisation’s web applications, you’re probably well-acquainted with the OWASP Top 10. But have you updated yourself with the latest 2023 changes to the OWASP API Top 10?
In this blog, we’ll explore what’s new and what it means for your business.
What is the difference between the OWASP top 10 and the OWASP API Security Top 10?
The OWASP Top 10 and OWASP API Top 10 are lists created by OWASP. They identify security risks and vulnerabilities for web applications and APIs. They update the two lists separately to reflect the evolving threat landscape in their domains.
The OWASP API Top 10 identifies vulnerabilities that are unique to APIs. These vulnerabilities may not be as critical for traditional web applications. However, there are some similarities between the two.
- OWASP Top 10
The OWASP Top 10 lists the most important security risks for web applications to help people understand potential threats. It provides a broad consensus on the most common and impactful vulnerabilities that developers and organisations should prioritise addressing in their web applications. The latest version is the OWASP Top 10 2021.
- OWASP API Top 10 2023
The OWASP API Top 10 is a list that focuses on security risks and vulnerabilities related to APIs. APIs are crucial in modern software. However, they introduce new security concerns. Traditional web application security guidelines such as OWASP Top 10 do not cover these concerns in depth.
Why are API’s a target for cyber-attacks?
APIs have evolved from expensive and complex systems to easy-to-use tools that companies can quickly deploy. This has allowed applications from anywhere in the world to connect effortlessly.
However, this openness that makes APIs so valuable also makes them a target for cyber-attacks. Malware can use APIs to access data from a corporate system. Hackers have created many tools to manipulate APIs, leading to serious security breaches.
Using simple API commands like “GET” requests to quickly get data from databases, a technique called “screen scraping.”
What are the updated OWASP Top 10 Security Vulnerabilities in 2023?
- Here’s a detailed look at the OWASP API 10 Security concerns from 2023:
- 1. Broken Object Level Authorisation - APIs often expose endpoints that manage object identifiers, creating risks around object level access control. It's vital that every function accessing a data source via an ID incorporates object level authorisation checks.
- 2. Broken Authentication - Many security breaches stem from incorrect implementation of authentication mechanisms, allowing attackers to either compromise tokens or impersonate users, undermining the API's overall security.
- 3. Broken Object Property Level Authorisation - This issue merges concerns from previous years about excessive data exposure and mass assignments, emphasising the need for proper authorisation checks at the level of individual object properties to prevent unauthorised data manipulation.
- 4. Unrestricted Resource Consumption - API requests consume substantial network bandwidth, CPU, memory, and other resources. Without proper management, this can lead to Denial of Service (DoS) or inflated operational costs, as attackers exploit the service-heavy nature of API functions.
- 5. Broken Function Level Authorisation - Flaws often arise from complex and unclear access control policies, where the separation between user functions and administrative controls is not well-defined, allowing unauthorised access to sensitive functions.
- 6. Unrestricted Access to Sensitive Business Flows - APIs that inadequately protect business processes can be manipulated to perform actions like ticket purchases or posting comments excessively, which can disrupt business operations.
- 7. Server Side Request Forgery (SSRF) - SSRF vulnerabilities occur when APIs fetch data from external sources without adequately validating URLs, enabling attackers to direct requests to unintended destinations, potentially bypassing firewalls or VPNs.
- 8. Security Misconfiguration - APIs are susceptible to various attacks due to complex configurations that are often mismanaged or overlooked by developers and DevOps teams, leaving systems vulnerable.
- 9. Improper Inventory Management - Maintaining an accurate inventory of APIs and their versions is crucial, as outdated or debug APIs can pose serious security risks if not properly managed.
- 10. Unsafe Consumption of APIs - A common oversight is placing too much trust in third-party API data, leading to weaker security practices compared to how user input is handled. Attackers often exploit this trust to breach APIs through integrated services rather than directly attacking the primary API.
How you can this follow API security best practice:
Now that we’ve unpacked what it is and the updates, you’re probably keen to see how to apply API OWASP best practices to tighten your app’s security. Following the OWASP Top 10 is important for changing your organisation’s software development culture. This helps ensure that secure code is consistently delivered.
- Consider these strategies:
- Establish robust authentication and authorisation measures to ensure appropriate access at all levels, including objects and functions.
- Using the OWASP guidelines, conduct regular security audits and assessments to monitor and evaluate APIs for vulnerabilities.
- Implement resource and rate limits to prevent misuse and help mitigate denial-of-service attacks.
- Educate developers on API security best practices, with a particular emphasis on the specific vulnerabilities and risks listed in the OWASP Top 10.
- Maintain an inventory of APIs to identify and phase out those that are outdated or no longer needed.
- Implement API security gateways and management tools to introduce extra security attributes, such as encryption, threat identification, and policy implementation.
- Perform third-party security assessments on APIs to verify compliance with security standards and uncover vulnerabilities.
- Stay current with the latest recommendations to effectively integrate them into your security strategy.
Secure Your Future: Mastering API Security with OWASP
APIs are important for your business. Securing them is not just about technology, it’s a key business strategy.
Need help incorporating OWASP Top 10 into your app development strategy? For more information on how our testers secure web applications, contact us at 0121 663 0055 or email enquiries@equilibrium-security.co.uk.
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