Application security and API security are two critical components of a comprehensive security strategy. Organizations can protect themselves from malicious attacks and security threats and ensure their data remains secure by utilizing these practices. It is important to understand the differences between application and API security and the best practices to consider when implementing them.
Application security, better known as AppSec, helps protect data and systems from unauthorized access, modification, or data destruction. It can help protect sensitive data from being stolen or misused, reduce the risk of data breaches, and ensure that applications are compliant with industry regulations. The five key components of an application security program are security by design, secure code testing, software bill of materials, security training and awareness, and WAFs and API security gateways and rule development.
API security helps to protect APIs from unauthorized access, misuse, and abuse. It also helps to protect against malicious attacks such as SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and other types of attacks. Application security focuses on protecting the entire application, while API security focuses on protecting the APIs that are used to connect modern applications and exchange data.
Application security testing (AST) and API security testing are different disciplines. Traditional security testing methods like static application security testing (SAST) and dynamic application security testing (DAST) are still important, but APIs require additional testing that these techniques cannot address. Traditional network and web protection tools do not protect against all the security threats facing APIs, including many of those described in the OWASP API Security Top 10.
Organizations should consider using a purpose-built API security platform to protect their APIs from cyber-attacks. Noname Security is the only company taking a complete, proactive approach to API Security, covering the entire API security scope—Discovery, Posture Management, Runtime Protection, and API Security Testing.
In conclusion, application and API security are both essential components of a comprehensive security strategy. Organizations should take the time to understand the differences between application and API security and the best practices to consider when implementing them. Additionally, a purpose-built API security platform is necessary to protect APIs from malicious attacks.