Ep 314 Federal API Security Risks Rise with Shadow IT Threat

If you go to Google Trends and type in API threats, you get a classic hockey stick. This is probably caused by the proliferation of connectors to cloud solutions paired with the popularity of AI.

Today, we sat down with Brian Dennis from Akamai to talk about the problem this can present to federal systems. He begins by telling the audience that API attacks have increased by over 1,200 percent, reflecting the Google data.

The shock is that many organizations, federal included, do not even know how many API's they actually have. There may be APIs that were designed in earlier systems; there could have been APIs designed, used, and now dormant. Worse, it is possible that individuals have launched independent systems, called Shadow APIs, which can present unimagined vulnerabilities.

The fact is malicious actors know this is a current vulnerability. It is a matter of knowing what to do when you get attacked.

During the interview, Brian Dennis makes some suggestions that can help overcome some of these challenges.

Microsegemetation will allow any breach to be blocked off. Traditionally, microsegmentation has been a time-consuming task but today's AI can make it a trivial concern.

Akamai has recently merged with a company called Guardicore that can provide enhanced network visibility.

Today, developers are grabbing code off the shelf and plugging it in. There may be insecurities in this approach. Dennis explains how Akamai's No Name can help identify and secure APIs at the code level, enabling operational security from development to runtime.

Connect to John Gilroy on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-gilroy/

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