How API Discovery Empowers AppSec Professionals and Fuels Innovation

As application security (AppSec) professionals, we understand the constant struggle to secure our ever-expanding digital landscapes. APIs often become blind spots, creating sleepless nights and doubts in our attack surface coverage.

But there is a solution— adopting a continuous API discovery process . One that doesn’t involve manually tracking down API endpoints.

Owning Your API Attack Surface

Imagine a world where:

• Security Audits Become a Breeze: No more scrambling to identify in-scope APIs. A comprehensive inventory streamlines security assessments.

• Developers Get What They Need, Fast: APIs are easily discoverable and documented, accelerating development cycles.

• Risk Management Gets Real: Proactive identification of all APIs empowers you to prioritize threats and allocate resources effectively.

• Breaches Become a Distant Memory: With all APIs identified and secured, you significantly reduce your attack surface.

These are just a few of our favorite outcomes achievable with a strong API discovery process.

How to Get There

Leading companies and security teams are embracing API discovery with urgency. Here’s how they’re doing it:

• Leveraging Automation: Automated discovery tools take the heavy lifting out of finding APIs, saving valuable time and effort.

• Centralized Inventory: A single source of truth for all APIs, including ownership, functionality, and access controls, ensures everyone is on the same page.

• API-Centric Security: Security considerations are woven into the entire API lifecycle, from design to deployment.

• Collaboration is Key: Open communication between AppSec and development teams fosters a culture of API security awareness.

Unlocking Your Holistic View

Building a holistic view of your API attack surface can be approached in a few different ways:

• Network Scanning: Identify APIs within your network infrastructure.

• Code Analysis: Uncover APIs embedded within applications and microservices.

• Developer Engagement: Encourage developers to register and document their APIs during creation.

• Legacy System Integration: Develop strategies to discover APIs within older, potentially undocumented systems.

Any one of these techniques will help you better understand your API landscape but deploying a combination of these methods is even better. For an efficient proactive approach, we recommend starting with code analysis and developer engagement.

Benefits Beyond Security

The benefits of a holistic API view extend far beyond just security. AppSec professionals, developers, and organizations as a whole will reap a multitude of positive changes:

• Increased Confidence: Knowing you’ve secured all APIs creates a sense of control and accomplishment.

• Reduced Stress: No more sleepless nights worrying about hidden vulnerabilities.

• Empowered Developers: Faster API discovery improves developer productivity and innovation.

• Improved Collaboration: A shared understanding of APIs fosters better communication across teams.

API discovery isn’t just about plugging security holes; it’s about owning your overall attack surface. By taking control of your API landscape, you can achieve a more secure, efficient, and collaborative development environment.

StackHawk’s API Discovery capability is now in open beta. If you’re interested in learning more, read our documentation here .