- Importance of API authentication for cybersecurity.
- API keys, OAuth, and HTTP Basic Authentication.
- Difference between authentication and authorization.
- Zero trust OAuth security and JWT access tokens.
- Implementing scopes and claims for authorization checks.
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TranscriptAPI authentication is critical for API security. It is a process that verifies the identities of users who want access to an API. The classic French thriller "Diva" highlighted the cybersecurity problem of authentication, which has now reached crisis proportions. System access should only be granted to users who can prove they are who they say they are, a foundation of cybersecurity. Otherwise, unauthenticated or falsely authenticated users will gain access to places where they don't belong.
The issue is particularly pressing when it comes to APIs, which often sit in front of vast stores of sensitive information. API authentication enables API owners to guard against improper API access from users who cannot verify their identities. It employs software protocols to ensure that users are who they claim to be when making API calls, acting as an online ID verification mechanism and safeguarding APIs from unauthorized access, particularly from malicious actors.
API authentication plays a crucial role in ensuring the security of APIs and, by extension, the overall cybersecurity defense of an enterprise. Without proper authentication mechanisms, unauthorized and untrusted users may gain access to the data or functionality exposed by the API. This can lead to various risks including data breaches, corruption or deletion of data, and denial-of-service attacks. Done correctly, API authentication reduces the likelihood of attacks and mitigates their impact should they occur, leading to greater user trust.
An API key is a unique numeric identification code that authenticates an API user, acting as the basic element of API authentication. A known API user will have an established API key, which is submitted when requesting access to the API. The API security solution then either grants or denies access based on the validation of the API key. This process usually occurs without a human user having to take any specific action, occurring on a machine-to-machine basis.
API authentication involves presenting a credential and/or supporting data, which is then accepted or rejected. Credentials can take the form of an API key, username/password pair, or digital token. Supporting data may include information related to the user's device or location. A well-configured API authentication solution should detect anomalies and respond by blocking the user until further verification steps can be completed.
Authentication alone is not enough to ensure API security. Authentication only establishes a user's identity. It does not determine what kind of API access the user is entitled to have. That is a matter of authorization. With APIs, authorization is about what level of access the user is entitled to receive.
There are three popular methods for API authentication: HTTP Basic Authentication, API Key Authentication, and OAuth Authentication. HTTP Basic Authentication is straightforward but introduces security risks. API keys improve over HTTP Basic Authentication by using long, usually unguessable keys. However, they do not provide authorization. OAuth is considered a robust protocol for API authentication, especially with mobile applications, due to its wide support and popularity. However, it is more complex to set up and manage.
Noname's API security platform helps protect APIs with authentication issues by testing APIs early and often throughout the SDLC, so authentication issues are discovered and remediated sooner. For APIs in production, it provides runtime protection to monitor and analyze all API traffic, using AI and machine-learning to pinpoint when an attacker is attempting credential stuffing or password spraying against an API.
To integrate zero trust OAuth security into APIs, every API or microservice must receive and validate a JWT access token on every request for secured resources. Centralizing trust is crucial, as only the authorization server can produce the JWT, which is then verified using public key cryptography. Although JWT access tokens work well for APIs, they are simply base64-encoded JSON and easily readable, so they should not be returned to internet clients. An API gateway or reverse proxy should provide the internet URLs for APIs, translating from opaque access tokens or cookies to JWTs via utility plugins that run within the gateway.
After the JWT access token is validated, use scopes and claims to perform authorization checks. Each API has its own expected scopes and will only accept access tokens that contain them. Infrastructure security alone is insufficient to protect the backend platform. APIs should always implement their own security and avoid trusting claims in headers received from a gateway or sidecar. By doing so, they receive a verifiable user identity for calls that originated outside the cluster.
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