It is a given that Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) can no longer be at the back-end of security processes, especially so in today’s extremely intertwined digital landscape.
The volumes of APIs that are constantly being created by enterprises, internally or externally, and the functions these perform in terms of software development, seamless communication and integration between various systems and services has become indispensable. Of course, as with any kind of acceleration in adoption, the rise of APIs come with their own challenges.
Much of those challenges lie in the realm of API security management and combating new API-related vulnerabilities, attacks, and breaches. As with any new technology that is created, the complication API security currently poses lies in the fact that it cannot always be managed using traditional approaches to cybersecurity.
The open, dynamic, and ever-evolving nature of APIs also gives rise to new age cyber threats. This is where DevSecOps or Developer Security Operations come in. DevSecOps helps organizations embed API security into their entire Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) process and aids in breaking siloes. In the rest of this article, we explore DevSecOps and how some of its various aspects fit into the ALM process, including secure coding practices, API threat modelling, and automated security testing.
DevSecOps Defined
DevSecOps, as the name suggests, is the coming together of three once-separate departments or functions within organizational hierarchy. DevOps, the older version of this amalgamation, was itself a fusion of two separate functions – between developer teams and operations teams. Earlier, software development and tech operations worked in their own spheres. The developer teams would code and the IT ops teams would deploy the code.
However, as the pace of application development accelerated, there was an increased and perhaps critical need for developers and operations teams to not just work in tandem, but function as one larger entity. That’s how DevOps was born. As the pace of application development only continued to advance even as cyberthreats and security became an increasingly important issue, the natural progression of DevOps to DevSecOps was but inevitable.
DevSecOps functions on collaboration, automation, and continuous improvement throughout the software development and delivery process. With DevSecOps, security is not meant to be an afterthought but incorporated at every single stage of application development. It is also meant to foster a culture of shared responsibility among three otherwise disparate teams and bring them on a common footing with an integrated workflow.
Although it sounds simple in theory, implementing a robust DevSecOps strategy comes with its own challenges. Those include challenges in creating a unified team and workflow in the first place. That requires effective leadership to balance the disparate functions, goals, and responsibilities of the developer, operations, and security teams within the fused structure and create a cohesive culture. Dealing with legacy systems and structures across all three functions can also be a challenge.
While DevSecOps has several different aspects, we take a quick look at three main features from an API security in the ALM process standpoint.
Secure coding practices
The best way to ensure API security is built into the ALM process is to bring security into the earliest point of API development. That’s where secure coding practices come in. It lays a strong foundation for developing APIs that are created with security in mind from the get go. Developers can mitigate security vulnerabilities and reduce the attack surface of their APIs by adhering to established secure coding practices, standards, and guidelines.
Secure coding practices include input validation, authentication, authorization, encryption, error handling, and secure configuration. Input validation helps to sanitize all user inputs, thus, preventing injection attacks. Robust authentication and authorization mechanisms, as we have explained in previous API security blogs, control access to API resources and reduce chances of misuse.
Encrypting sensitive data in transit and at rest is another crucial secure coding practice that cannot be neglected. Being prepared for errors and potential malicious activity is just as important as building secure systems. Having error handling mechanisms that prevent information leakage and ensure graceful degradation is another example of a good API security practice. Finally, security must be built into server and API configuration, too.
API threat modeling
While secure coding practices ensure an organization is placing security at the heart of each stage of application development in the ALM process, it is important to follow it up with regular monitoring. API threat modeling is a proactive approach to monitoring. It involves identifying and mitigating potential security risks throughout the ALM process.
Organizations can prioritize security controls and allocate resources more effectively by systematically analyzing the various components, interactions, and potential attack vectors of an API. An efficient API threat modelling process typically focuses on:
- Identifying critical assets and resources that the API exposes, especially sensitive data
- Defining the boundaries of trust in the API ecosystem
- Discovering potential threats that could affect the API
- Assessing and analyzing the risks that those potential threats post
- Mitigating those risks through mechanisms like access controls, encryption etc.
Automated security testing
Automated security testing is a process whereby security testing tools and techniques are integrated into the development pipeline of ALM. How does this help? When organizations do this, they can detect and remediate issues in real-time, reducing the risk of security breaches in production. It plays an important role in identifying and addressing security vulnerabilities early in the ALM process.
Some common features of automated security testing for APIs are:
- Static Application Security Testing (SAST), wherein tools analyze the source code of an application to find potential security vulnerabilities
- Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) tools, or those that simulate real-world attacks to identify security vulnerabilities
- Interactive Application Security Testing (IAST), which combines elements of SAST and DAST, and provides real-time feedback on security vulnerabilities during application runtime
- Dependency scanning tools, which identify known vulnerabilities in third-party libraries and dependencies used by the API
- Fuzz testing, which involves sending invalid, unexpected, or random data to the API to discover vulnerabilities
DevSecOps provides a unified and more effective approach to API security by embedding security measures into the ALM process, right from the design phase. Through aspects like secure coding practices, API threat modeling, and automated security testing, organizations can build more resilient and secure APIs to keep up with evolving demands, stay ahead of the curve, and maintain their credibility and trust in the market.
