Application programming interfaces have always been important gateways to our applications, but in recent years, they’ve silently become both more prevalent and more central to app functionality. APIs are everywhere and inside of everything we’re using now.

Here’s what I mean: In our workplace, more and more traditional business services are being delivered or amplified by applications. These new applications aren’t the traditional desktop or client-server monoliths, but instead are web applications. What do apps look like now? A patchwork of network-enabled services stitched together over APIs to deliver useful functionality to the user. These applications aren’t managed by human hands, but instead via automation and orchestration frameworks on APIs.

As a result of this proliferation and integration of apps, we have more APIs in our environments, and those APIs have more power—and, therefore, we are more dependent on them. I bring all this up because APIs often go unnoticed by nearly everyone except a handful of individuals working in IT. This often leaves APIs poorly defended and monitored, two factors that make APIs a crucial weak spot in an organization’s cyber defense.

Read the full article published August 13, 2019 here: https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2019/08/13/improving-api-security/ by Help Net Security.