API Security Testing And Its Benefits

• Pabitra Kumar Sahoo
• November 24, 2021
• 3 Comments

In today’s day and age, cybersecurity is among one of the top concerns for any IT based companies all over the world. Cyberattacks not only hijacks the sensitive data of users and company but tarnishes the reputation of your company in the business market as well. Hacking has become a bigger nuisance due to COVID-19. Because of the major shift from office work to work from home. All the business transactions now happen online using different web application and websites. Therefore, performing security testing and securing your applications, websites and software against cyberattacks is more important than ever. And API security testing is one of these security testing crucial for cyber safety.

What is Application Programming Interface Testing?

API’s (Application Programming Interface) can be considered as the backbone of any web application. Virtually, company’s most valuable sensitive data is stored behind an API. Therefore, ensuring a hack proof API is critical.

It is a process for discovering the vulnerabilities in an API. Which in turn, enables us to realize the security issues present within the entire network or application. Mostly, this was done through conducting penetration testing or manual scan testing on the API’s by a security testers. But in recent times, it has been added to the DevOps to ensure detection of the security vulnerabilities in early development stages.

There are different types of API testing performed for safety assurance. Here we enlist and give a brief on them: –

a) Dynamic API Testing: –

The best API testing is running active tests against the API endpoints. Conducting dynamic API testing simulates a real attack on the API and detects vulnerabilities present in the codes developed by your development team.

Although, dynamic testing is the first step for the API’s security. But if you require perfect API securities, then performing dynamic and static and software composition analysis(SCA) testing is more ideal.

b) Static API Testing: –

Static application programming interface testing is a security testing tool which scans though your source codes of the we application to distinguish any potential security vulnerabilities. Static application programming interface testing tool scans for patterns in the source code that might represent any security issues. The static testing tools are language based. Which means, languages of API and the API testing tool mist be the same.

c) Software Composition Analysis (SCA): –

Software composition analysis is a security testing tool that scan at the reliability of your web application. Furthermore, it runs a match through its database of known security vulnerabilities. By conducting API tests using this tool enables us to detect if the application is using a library or framework known for security issues.

But there are a few limitations to software composition analysis. The limitations of SCA tools are: –

(i) Generally, detection of unexploitable security vulnerabilities is not possible by SCA. And,

(ii) SCA only scans open source security vulnerabilities. The development team might have added some security bugs to the web application. Security bugs might be neglected during software composition analysis.

Need Of API Security Testing

There is a prediction which foretells, by 2022 API exploitation will be the topmost web application security vulnerability. No emphasis on API testing, leads to incidents like user accounts being hijacked, application algorithm exposure, frauds, data thefts, network shutdown and etc.

There is a rise of security issues due to API exploitation. Even OWASP has noticed it. Due to which, OWASP published their Top 10 version of API testing as well. Let us list them out for you: –

1. Missing Object Level Access Control
2. Broken Authentication
3. Excessive Data Exposure
4. Lack of Resources and Rate Limiting
5. Missing Function/Resource Level Access Control
6. Mass Assignment
7. Security Misconfiguration
8. Injection
9. Improper Assets Management
10. Insufficient Logging and Monitoring

Benefits Of API Security Testing

Application programming interface testing is very crucial to any web application. Therefore, it is important to understand its benefits as well: –

1) Detection of vulnerabilities before launch

Before the launch of web application conduction of API testing is possible. Therefore, enabling the developers to find and resolve any errors and issues with the application before any of the users face it. This is beneficial because it helps QA rectify the error before it impacts the Graphical User Interface. 

2) Fixing of vulnerabilities

API testing is conducted with extreme caution and under great supervision, best conditions and inputs. Which in turn protects the web application from deceitful codes. Therefore, detecting and resolving the errors present in the web application is done before any harm is done to your application and your company.

3) Better time management than GUI

API testing consumes lesser time compared to functional GUI testing. IN GUI testing, developers poll the webpage elements. On the other hand, API testing requires less coding. So, API testing delivers fasters results.

4) Affordable than other tests.

API testing requires less coding than GUI. So, we get faster results. Therefore, consumption of time is less. Eventually, overall expense is much lesser than GUI testing. Plus, detection of errors in early stages saves money as well.

Conclusion

Now, you understand why API security testing is very critical for your web application. We hope you contact a testing partner as soon as possible.

We are QualySec, the best QA and penetration testing company in India. QualySec believes that you deserve the best in everything. Therefore, your consumers deserve the best as well..

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