APIs are like doors to your systems. If you don't protect them, anyone can walk in and mess with user data and your whole system. This post will cover seven ways to protect your APIs from attacks.
Rate Limiting
Rate limiting controls how many requests a client can make in a set time. For example, you can limit a user to 100 requests per minute. If they try to make 101 requests, you block them for a while.
Without rate limits, attackers can overwhelm your system. They can send thousands of requests per minute, crashing your API. They can also try to brute force your data.
Rate limits can be set:
Per endpoint: Limit requests to specific parts of your API, like a
/commentssection.Per user or IP address: Block users or IP addresses that make too many requests.
Overall: Protect against DDOS attacks by limiting total traffic to your server.
Even with rate limits per user, attackers can use bots from different IP addresses to exceed limits, so the overall limit is important.
CORS (Cross-Origin Resource Sharing)
CORS controls which websites can use your API from a browser. If your API is only for app.yourdomain.com, only requests from that domain should be allowed.
Without CORS, malicious websites could trick users' browsers into making requests without their knowledge. If a request comes from anotherdomain.com, it should be blocked.
SQL and NoSQL Injections
Injection attacks happen when user input is put directly into a database query. Attackers can change the input to read or delete data.
For example, an attacker can bypass checks and use a query to:
- Read data
- Change data
- Delete all user data
To prevent this, use parameterized queries or Object-Relational Mapping (ORM) safeguards.
Firewalls
A firewall is like a gatekeeper. It filters out malicious traffic. It sits between your API and incoming traffic.
For example, AWS's Web Application Firewall (WAF) can block requests with:
- Unknown attack patterns
- Suspicious SQL keywords
- Strange HTTP methods
A firewall blocks suspicious requests but lets normal requests through to your API.
VPNs (Virtual Private Networks)
Some APIs should only be accessed from specific networks. That’s where VPNs come in. APIs within a VPN network can only be accessed by someone else in that network.
APIs can be:
- Public-facing: Open to anyone on the internet.
- Within a VPN: Only reachable by users on the company network.
If a user outside the VPN tries to reach an API within the VPN, the request is blocked. This is useful for internal tools, like an admin dashboard.
CSRF (Cross-Site Request Forgery)
CSRF tricks a logged-in user's browser into making unwanted requests to your API.
Imagine you're logged into your bank, and the bank uses cookies for authentication. A malicious site could use your cookie to send a hidden request to transfer money.
To prevent this, use CSRF tokens with session cookies. The bank checks for both the session cookie and a matching CSRF token. If they don't match, the request is blocked.
XSS (Cross-Site Scripting)
XSS allows attackers to inject scripts into web pages seen by other users.
For example, if you have a comment section, an attacker could put a script in their comment. This script could try to:
- Fetch cookies from other users
- Inject something into your database
When other users load the comments section, the malicious script runs in their browsers.
Conclusion
APIs need protection. You can use these techniques to keep your APIs secure. Remember to always stay updated on the latest security threats and best practices to keep your systems safe.
Ready to take action? Start implementing these security measures today to protect your APIs and your users' data!
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