Securing APIs

Patrick Vandenberg,  Director of Product Marketing at Invicti Security discusses Invicti’s unique approach to  API discovery and security testing

How is Invicti helping address the challenge of securing APIs?

Invicti has introduced a new capability: Invicti API Security. As the volume of APIs has surged with modern and mobile applications, so has the use of APIs. Combined with the pace of development, this has created a massive blind spot in organizations’ application attack surface as the volume of undocumented APIs expands. Invicti is attacking this challenge head on for customers with a comprehensive approach to API discovery that enables inventorying of documented and undocumented APIs for security testing. While this capability is highly needed, companies can realize an added benefit as Invicti provides web application and API discovery and security testing all in a single solution tool complexity challenges.

Discuss how the web application security market and API security have evolved over the years and the outlook ahead.

Over the years, the web application security market has shifted significantly with the evolution of application architectures. Initially dominated by monolithic applications that consolidated all code into a single entity, the industry saw a rise in microservices due to their modularity and scalability benefits. However, as the microservices model became prevalent, organizations began to encounter challenges related to cloud costs, performance, and especially security. For many organizations, the shift to microservices—which are tightly integrated through APIs—has expanded the attack surface and introduced complexities in managing and securing numerous independent services. Research shows that most organizations have an average of 26 APIs per app, yet only 25% accurately inventory their APIs. With the increasing number of APIs woven into web applications to speed up the development process, simply keeping tabs on APIs can be a major challenge. As organizations reassess their cloud strategies and application architectures, security considerations will be crucial. Teams will look for solutions that put web asset discovery and security testing within a single cohesive platform, gaining visibility into the actual security status of their application environments.

What are the key products Invicti offers for web application security and API security?

Invicti’s Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) solutions are renowned for their accuracy and comprehensive coverage across web applications and websites. Our advanced proof-based scanning approach minimizes false positives, ensuring that developers receive only relevant vulnerability tickets and reducing remediation distractions. Recently, Invicti also expanded its offerings to include API Security capabilities. This enhancement introduces a comprehensive API discovery mechanism that identifies both documented and unknown (shadow) APIs, bringing them into the security inventory for thorough testing. This integration empowers organizations to manage both web application security and API security within a single, unified solution.

How easily does Invicti’s products integrate with other security tools and platforms typically used by organizations?

Invicti offers a wide range of integrations designed to enhance the efficiency of an organization’s application security (AppSec) program. Key integration areas include:

• Ticket Tracking: Seamlessly share vulnerabilities and remediation guidance with development teams through systems like ServiceNow and Jira.
• Continuous Integration Systems: Integrate security testing into the development workflow using tools such as Jenkins and CircleCI.
• API Management Systems: Support API inventorying with integrations to systems like Amazon API Gateway, MuleSoft Anypoint Exchange, and Apigee API Hub.
• Additional Integrations: Access a variety of other integration types, such as Single Sign-On (SSO), communication tools, Web Application Firewalls (WAFs), and more here.

What are the advantages and highlights of the application scanning approach offered by your solutions?

Making decisions based on probabilities and hunches instead of solid facts is bad not just for business but also for security. Invicti DAST uses proof-based scanning to cut through the uncertainty and show security teams which web vulnerabilities are real and exploitable. Our in-depth technical guide provides more details for partners and interested customers.

What are some typical vulnerabilities that Invicti’s tools help identify and remediate? What best practices would you recommend for organizations looking to strengthen their web application security?

Manual penetration testing is expensive and time-consuming—especially for timing-based attacks, where a single penetration attempt may take several hours and still fail. That’s why Invicti helps security and development teams automatically find and eliminate both typical and hard-to-detect vulnerabilities, such as SQL injections, cross-site scripting (XSS), directory traversal, command injection, remote file inclusion, and more. Organizations looking to strengthen their AppSec programs should invest in a strategy and solution that balances comprehensive coverage (identifying as many web assets and vulnerabilities as possible), accuracy (minimizing false positives), and speed (completing discovery and testing quickly).

With a single solution like Invicti, pen testers, and bounty hunters can spend their time identifying and reporting more advanced issues that truly require human expertise.

What best practices should organizations follow for enhancing their web application security posture?

The proliferation of service-based architectures has significantly increased the number of APIs in use. According to ESG’s report, Securing The API Attack Surface, 76% of organizations report an average of 26 APIs per application. As this number continues to rise, maintaining effective oversight becomes increasingly challenging.

To address this pressing issue faced by security and development teams, Invicti offers a leading API security and application security testing platform that helps cover more ground. This solution enhances your ability to identify and manage APIs, conduct thorough vulnerability assessments, and resolve security issues before they escalate into costly incidents. With comprehensive visibility across both the UI and API attack surfaces, Invicti transforms application security from a reactive process to a proactive strategy.

Discuss how strategic is the Middle East market as a focus for Invicti?

The Middle East represents growing markets with increasing demand for application security solutions:

Growing Markets: These countries represent burgeoning markets with increasing demand for application security solutions due to the rapid digital transformation and adoption of technology across various industries.

Strategic Locations: Situated at the crossroads of different regions, they serve as hubs for business activities, making them ideal entry points for expanding Invicti’s presence in the broader MEA region and beyond.

Economic Development: Countries like Saudi Arabia and UAE are investing heavily in

technology and innovation, creating fertile ground for the adoption of advanced security solutions.

Diverse Industries: These countries boast diverse economies, encompassing sectors such as finance, healthcare, government, and manufacturing, each with unique security needs and compliance requirements.

Government Initiatives: Governments in these countries are increasingly prioritizing cybersecurity and implementing regulations to safeguard critical infrastructure and data, driving the demand for robust application security solutions.

How strategic is your partnership with Bulwark for the region?

The Middle East and Africa (MEA) regions serve as pivotal areas for Invicti’s growth strategy, given their significant and expanding market for our best of class Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) solution. With our strategic partnership with Bulwark, we’re able to tap into a robust network of channel partners, we’re able to enhance customer satisfaction and instill market confidence through localized language support and differentiated services delivery.

This approach enables us to efficiently cater to these markets, engage with new clientele, and accelerate our collective presence. Our commitment to MEA remains steadfast, with ongoing investments aimed at bolstering our regional presence.