Security | Threat Detection | Cyberattacks | DevSecOps | Compliance

The recent cyber breach at the U.S. Treasury Department, linked to state-sponsored Chinese hackers, has set off alarm bells in the public sector. As the investigation continues, this incident reveals a pressing issue that all government agencies must confront: securing their APIs (Application Programming Interfaces).

As enterprises increasingly adopt cloud-native architectures, microservices, and third-party integrations, the number of Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) has surged, creating an “API tsunami” in an organization's infrastructure that threatens to overwhelm traditional management practices. As digital services proliferate, so does the development of APIs, which allow various applications to communicate or integrate with each other and share information.

We are excited to announce a significant Salt Security API Protection Platform upgrade. We have recently introduced a new detection feature targeting a prevalent yet often neglected vulnerability: open redirect attacks. This issue is so severe that it is highlighted in the OWASP Top 10 API Security Risks!

Who doesn’t love a little glimpse into the future? For cybersecurity—and more specifically, API security - gazing into the magic crystal ball may not strictly be necessary. But there are definite trends that will evolve for 2025 and make API security even more of an imperative for modern businesses. Here are our top five.

Zombie APIs, sometimes called “orphaned” or “forgotten” APIs, refer to endpoints that were initially deployed for a specific purpose but are no longer actively used or maintained. These APIs are often left operational within an organization’s infrastructure due to oversight or incomplete decommissioning processes.

APIs are essential for modern digital business operations, enabling smooth connectivity and data exchange between applications. However, the growing dependence on APIs has unintentionally widened the attack surface, making strong API security a vital concern for organizations. Traditional security measures often prove inadequate in effectively safeguarding this changing landscape.

In today’s interconnected digital ecosystems, traditional security mechanisms like Web Application Firewalls (WAFs), API gateways, and Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) act as enforcement points. Think of them as bouncers at the entrance of a high-profile nightclub—they decide who gets in and who doesn’t. However, relying solely on these edge solutions to secure APIs is like assuming a bouncer can stop someone sneaking in through a side door or an open window.