API Security — How Attackers Break A

 API Security — How Attackers Break

1. Broken Authentication

How attackers break it:

Using stolen/breached passwords

  • Credential stuffing
  • Brute-force login
  • Bypassing MFA
  • Using replay attacks on JWT tokens

Example:

/login endpoint accepts unlimited attempts → brute force

  • Tokens are not rotated → attacker reuses

2. Broken Authorization (IDOR)

The #1 cause of API data breaches.

How attackers break it:

Change the object ID in a URL to access others’ data

  • GET /accounts/123 → change to → GET /accounts/124

Real issue:

Developers validate that the resource exists, but don’t validate ownership.

3. Lack of Rate Limiting

How attackers break it:

Brute force your login

  • Denial-of-service by sending massive calls
  • Enumerating IDs
  • Scraping customer data



4. Missing Input Validation

How attackers break it:

SQL Injection

  • NoSQL Injection
  • Command Injection
  • XML External Entities (XXE)
  • Path Traversal

Example:

GET /files?path=../../etc/passwd


5. Excessive Data Exposure

How attackers break it:

  • API returns too much data, even if UI doesn’t show it
  • Hackers intercept response using tools like Burp Suite, Postman, Fiddler



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Performance Optimization in Sitecore

  Performance Optimization in Sitecore Caching Strategies Implementing caching properly in Sitecore significantly improves performance. The following caching techniques should be used:   HTML Caching Ø   Store rendered HTML output to reduce processing time. Ø   Enable caching on Sitecore renderings (Caching tab in Sitecore Experience Editor). Ø   Configure vary by parameters to cache different versions of content. Data Caching Ø   Use Sitecore’s Data Cache to store frequently accessed database queries. Ø   Implement custom memory caches using .NET MemoryCache for high-frequency data. Ø   Leverage pre-fetch caching to load important content in advance. Output Caching Ø   Store entire page outputs in the cache for quick retrieval. Ø   Configure Sitecore Output Cache settings at the item level. Ø   Set cache expiration rules to balance freshness and performance.   Load Balancing & Database Optimiz...
Read more

Strategies for Migrating to Sitecore from legacy or upgrading from older Sitecore

  Migration Migrating to Sitecore from legacy CMS platforms (Adobe AEM, WordPress, Drupal) or upgrading from older Sitecore versions requires a well-planned strategy .   How do you handle Sitecore upgrades and migrations? Assess Current Version – Identify the existing Sitecore version and compatibility requirements. Backup & Staging Setup – Create database and content backups , and deploy to a staging environment for testing. Upgrade in Phases – If migrating from older versions, use incremental upgrades instead of direct major jumps. Resolve Breaking Changes – Address deprecated APIs, custom pipelines, and config updates . Test Extensively – Perform functional testing, regression testing, and performance validation before go-live.   Planning a Sitecore Migration Before migration, organizations must: Assess Existing Content & Workflows – Identify outdated content and a...
Read more

Azure Event Grid Sample code

  Event Grid Azure Event Grid is a fully managed event routing service that enables event-driven architectures by: •                Delivering events from sources to subscribers in near real-time. •                Supporting fan-out (sending the same event to multiple subscribers). •                Ensuring high reliability and scalability. How Event Grid Fits in SOA Decoupling Services: SOA often involves tightly coupled services that rely on synchronous communication (e.g., REST or SOAP APIs). Event Grid enables asynchronous communication by routing events between services, reducing coupling and improving scalability. Event-Driven Communication: Instead of services polling for updates or making direct API calls, they can react to events published to Event ...
Read more