Application Security vs. API Security: What is the difference?

As
digital
transformation
takes
hold
and
businesses
become
increasingly
reliant
on
digital
services,
it
has
become
more
important
than
ever
to
secure
applications
and
APIs
(Application
Programming
Interfaces).
With
that
said,
application
security
and
API
security
are
two
critical
components
of
a
comprehensive
security
strategy.
By
utilizing
these
practices,
organizations
can
protect
themselves
from
malicious
attacks
and
security
threats,
and
most
importantly,
ensure
their
data
remains
secure.

Interestingly
enough,
despite
the
clear
advantages
these
disciplines
provide,
businesses
are
struggling
to
understand
which
security
approach
is
best
for
their
needs.
So
in
this
article,
we’ll
discuss
the
differences
between
application
and
API
security,
best
practices
that
you
should
consider,
and
ultimately
make
the
case
for
why
you
need
both.

What
is
Application
Security

Application
security,
better
known
as
AppSec,
is
a
critical
aspect
of
any
organization’s
cybersecurity
strategy.
Application
security
helps
protect
data
and
systems
from
unauthorized
access,
modification,
or
data
destruction
by
utilizing
techniques
around
authentication
and
authorization,
encryption,
access
control,
secure
coding
practices,
and
more.

The
benefits
of
application
security
are
numerous.
It
can
help
protect
sensitive
data
from
being
stolen
or
misused,
reduce
the
risk
of
data
breaches,
and
ensure
that
applications
are
compliant
with
industry
regulations.
Additionally,
application
security
can
help
organizations
reduce
the
costs
associated
with
responding
to
a
security
incident
by
providing
proactive
measures
that
reduce
the
risk
of
a
successful
attack.
Finally,
it
can
also
improve
customer
trust
by
providing
a
secure
environment
for
customers
to
interact
with
your
business.

According
to
the
ISACA,
the

five
key
components
of
an
application
security
program
are:

1. Security
   by
   design
2. Secure
   code
   testing
3. Software
   bill
   of
   materials
4. Security
   training
   and
   awareness
5. WAFs
   and
   API
   security
   gateways
   and
   rule
   development

In
the
next
section,
we’ll
take
a
look
at
how
API
security
fits
into
this
framework,
as
well
as
where
it
still
needs
to
be
addressed.

Comparing
Application
Security
vs.
API
Security

Though
often
used
synonymously,
AppSec
and
API
security
are
very
distinct
disciplines.
API
security
helps
to
protect
APIs
from
unauthorized
access,
misuse,
and
abuse.
It
also
helps
to
protect
against
malicious
attacks
such
as
SQL
injection,
cross-site
scripting
(XSS),
and
other
types
of
attacks.
By
implementing
proper
API
security
measures,
organizations
can
ensure
that
their
applications
remain
secure
and
protected
from
potential
threats.

As
you
can
see,
securing
APIs
is
a
critical
aspect
of
a
proper
application
security
strategy.
However,
to
be
clear,
API
Security
is
different
enough
from
‘traditional’
Application
Security
that
it
requires
specific
consideration.
AppSec
focuses
on
protecting
the
entire
application
while
API
security
focuses
on
protecting
the
APIs
that
are
used
to
connect
modern
applications
and
exchange
data.

The
biggest
difference
between
an
API
and
an
Application
is
how
each
impacts
the
user.
APIs
are
intended
to
be
used
by
software
applications,
while
software
applications
themselves
are
intended
to
be
used
by
humans.
This
implies
different
security
controls
are
required.
Now
that
we’ve
got
that
out
of
the
way,
let’s
dig
into
how
API
security
is
embedded
within
four
of
the
five
key
components
of
AppSec
and
where
it
still
needs
help:

Security
by
design

The
core
idea
here
“is
to
consider
security
at
the
point
of
architecture
and
design,
before
any
source
code
is
written
or
compiled.”
The
ISACA
goes
on
to
say
that
“controls
can
include,
but
are
not
limited
to,
the
use
of
web
application
firewalls
(WAFs)
and
application
program
interface
(API)
security
gateways,
encryption
capabilities,
authentication
and
secrets
management,
logging
requirements,
and
other
security
controls.”

With
that
in
mind,
in
the
2022
Hype
Cycle
for
Application
Security,
Gartner
points
out
that
“traditional
network
and
web
protection
tools
do
not
protect
against
all
the
security
threats
facing
APIs,
including
many
of
those
described
in
the
OWASP
API
Security
Top
10.”
Which
illustrates
the
need
for
developers
and
security
professionals
to
consider
unique
nuances
of
API
protection
in
their
cybersecurity
strategy.

Discover
all
of
the
elements
to
consider
when
securing
APIs
by
downloading
in
the
in-depth



API
Security
Buyers
Guide.

Secure
code
testing

As
you
can
imagine,
application
security
testing
(AST)
and
API
security
testing
are
different
disciplines.
Ultimately
the
goal
of
securing
the
software
development
lifecycle
(SDLC)
is
the
same,
but
the
approaches
are
fundamentally
different.
The
ISACA
recommends
pursuing
traditional
security
testing
methods
like
static
application
security
testing
(SAST)
and
dynamic
application
security
testing
(DAST).
They
also
recommend
supplementing
AppSec
testing
with
penetration
(pen)
testing.
The
problem
here
is
that
APIs
require
additional
testing
that
these
techniques
cannot
address.

According
to
Gartner,
“traditional
AST
tools
—
SAST,
DAST
and
interactive
AST
(IAST)
—
were
not
originally
designed
to
test
for
vulnerabilities
associated
with
typical
attacks
against

APIs.
They
go
on
to
say
that,
“to
identify
the
optimal
approach
to
API
testing,
they
are
looking
to
a
mix
of
traditional
tools
(such
as
static
AST
[SAST]
and
dynamic
AST
[DAST])
and
emerging
solutions
focused
specifically
on
the
requirements
of
APIs.”
A
good
example
to
explain
their
rationale
would
be
the
discovery
of
each
individual
endpoint
and
it’s
associated
CRUD
operations
depending
on
the
authentication/authorization.
This
is
something
SAST
tools
simply
cannot
do.

You
can
learn
more
about
the
key
differences
Gartner
is
calling
out
by
downloading
the
new
ebook,



API
Security
Testing
For
Dummies.

Security
training
and
awareness

According
to
the
ISACA,
“all
developers
should
be
minimally
trained
on
the

Open
Worldwide
Application
Security
Project
Top
10
list
(OWASP
Top
10)”.
However,
this
list
of
web
application
risks
is
just
a
piece
of
the
puzzle.
Due
to
the
unique
vulnerabilities
APIs
present,
coupled
with
the
rise
in
API
related
security
breaches,
OWASP
established
the

OWASP
API
Security
Top
10.
This
list
addresses
the
most
pressing
API
threats
facing
organizations.
With
that
said,
it’s
important
for
developers
to
abide
by
both
lists
in
order
to
secure
their
applications
and
APIs.

You
can
learn
how
to
defend
against
these
critical
vulnerabilities
in
the
ebook,



Mitigating
OWASP
Top
10
API
Security
Threats.

WAFs
and
API
security
gateways
and
rule
development

There
is
no
denying
that
both
API
gateways
and
web
application
firewalls
(WAFs)
are
important
components
of
the
API
delivery
stack.
To
be
honest,
neither
are
designed
to
provide
the
security
controls
and
observability
required
to
adequately
protect
APIs.
And
organizations
are
now
realizing
the
false
sense
of
security
they
had
thinking
their
WAF
or
API
gateway
were
enough
to
keep
their
APIs
secure.

The
reality
is,
you
need
a
purpose-built
API
security
platform
to
find
your
APIs,
evaluate
their
security
posture
and
monitor
for
any
unusual
network
traffic
or
patterns
of
use.
Otherwise,
you’re
just
fooling
yourself
that
your
APIs
are
safe
from
cyber-attacks.
If
you’re
interested
in
seeing
how
these
legacy
tools
measure
up
to
a
purpose-built
platform,
check
out
this
comparison
page.

How
Noname
Security
Provides
Comprehensive
API
Protection

Noname
Security
is
the
only
company
taking
a
complete,
proactive
approach
to
API
Security.
Noname
works
with
20%
of
the
Fortune
500
and
covers
the
entire
API
security
scope
—
Discovery,
Posture
Management,
Runtime
Protection,
and
API
Security
Testing.

With
Noname
Security,
you
can
monitor
API
traffic
in
real-time
to
uncover
insights
into
data
leakage,
data
tampering,
data
policy
violations,
suspicious
behavior,
and
API
security
attacks.
We
also
provide
a
suite
of
over
150
custom-built
API
security
tests
based
on
years
of
enterprise-grade
API
security
experience,
not
relying
on
generalized
approaches
like
fuzzing.
You
can
run
the
suite
of
tests
on-demand
or
as
part
of
a
CI/CD
pipeline.

If
you’re
interested
in
learning
more
about
Noname
Security
and
how
we
can
help
secure
your
API
estate,
visit
nonamesecurity.com.

About Author

AndyC

Andy Curtis is an award-winning security consultant, researcher and public speaker. He has been working in the computer security industry since the early 1990s, having been employed by state and federal government, leading healthcare and banking providers across three continents. He has given talks about computer security for some of the world’s largest companies, worked with law enforcement agencies on investigations into hacking groups, and is a regular voice on TV and radio explaining IT security threats.

See author's posts