Artificial intelligence will be applied to ensure API security

Now, in the security industry, the topic of artificial intelligence (AI) is mentioned almost everywhere. Indeed, artificial intelligence is a hot topic. Like many other hot topics, there is a lot of noise and hype surrounding it. Suddenly it seems like everyone is actively leveraging AI

As you can imagine, this has created quite a fog on the topic of AI. In particular, it is difficult to understand when AI can add value and when it is being used solely for its buzz and hype. Yet beyond the buzz and hype, how do we know when AI is being used to creatively solve problems in a useful way?

In my experience, artificial intelligence works best when applied to specific problems. In other words, AI needs to be utilized carefully, strategically, and methodically to solve some problems for which it is suited. While there are many such issues, API security is one such issue and I have personally experienced that AI can produce good results in this area.

Here are five ways to leverage AI to improve API security :

1. API Discovery: Artificial intelligence can be used to study API request and response data. Behavioral analysis can be performed to discover previously unknown API endpoints. Once discovered, these previously unknown APIs can be included in asset inventory, asset management, security policies, and security monitoring activities. In this way, API discovery makes an important contribution to overall API security.
2. Architectural Enforcement/Access Control: As AI studies an API’s request and response data, there are additional benefits beyond API discovery. Patterns for specific API endpoints can be learned and executed, and subsequent deviations from the learned patterns can be observed and mitigated. Functions can be generated that accurately fit metrics such as request size and response size, latency with and without data, request and error rates, response throughput, and more. Deviations from these metrics can then also be observed and mitigated. This provides improved access control capabilities across API endpoints The ability to implement architecture and improved access control is another important contributor to overall API security.
3. Exposure of Sensitive Data: Another benefit of AI research API request and response data is the ability to identify sensitive data in transit. This includes detecting and flagging personally identifiable information (PII) that is being exposed. Exposure of sensitive data, including PII, is a significant risk for most businesses. Improving the ability to detect and mitigate sensitive data breaches can improve the overall security of your API.
4. Layer 7 DDoS Protection: While most businesses have DDoS protection at Layers 3 and 4, they may not have it at Layer 7. For APIs, layer 7 is where most of the action happens. Therefore, AI can be leveraged to help protect API endpoints from misuse and abuse that can occur at Layer 7. Artificial intelligence can be used to analyze metrics and log data collected from enterprise API endpoints. The visibility generated through this continuous analysis and baseline of API endpoint behavior provides insights and alerts on anomalies, which can then be used to generate Layer 7 protection policies. Improved Layer 7 DDoS protection means improved API security.
5. Malicious User Detection: Malicious users or customers pose a significant risk to most businesses. All client interactions for an enterprise, including interactions with API endpoints, can be analyzed over time and outliers identified. You can then provide a risk score for each client based on all of their interactions with a specific API endpoint. Depending on each customer's specific activity, a customer's threat level will rise or fall over time. Policies and procedures can be put in place to define how to deal with these malicious users/clients. This opens up another avenue to improve API security.

Today, artificial intelligence (AI) and application program interface (API) security have become top concerns for most security professionals. Although artificial intelligence generates a lot of discussion and hype, it is a technology that can add tremendous value to security programs. Not surprisingly, like many technologies, AI works best when applied to the specific problems for which it is suited. In my experience, API security is exactly one of them. By applying AI to API security carefully, strategically, and systematically, enterprises can improve their overall security posture

The above is the detailed content of Artificial intelligence will be applied to ensure API security. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!