APIs as a Critical Asset Under Threat
An application programming interface (API) is the foundation of modern digital ecosystems, enabling seamless communication and interoperability between various applications, services, and platforms. It facilitates data exchange and accelerates the deployment of advanced technologies across industries, from finance and healthcare to e-commerce and cloud computing.
However, as APIs become more integral to business operations, they become a prime target for cyber threats.
According to Traceable’s 2025 State of API Security Report, 57 percent of organizations encountered an API-related data breach within the past two years. Even more concerning, 73 percent of those affected suffered at least three breaches.
A single breach can expose sensitive customer and business information, causing financial losses, regulatory penalties, and legal liabilities. Compromised APIs also cause operational instability, customer distrust, and reputational damage.
As cyber threats escalate, organizations must adopt a proactive, multi-layered approach to API security.
The Growing Complexity of API Security Challenges
Securing APIs is increasingly challenging as businesses rely more on them. Attackers have learned to exploit vulnerabilities, while monitoring APIs in various environments makes it harder to maintain robust security.
“The most obvious reason that a paradigm shift needs to take place is that attacks continue to be successful,” explained Adam Arellano, Traceable’s Field Chief Technology Officer.
Traditional protections, such as web application firewalls and content delivery networks, have forced attackers to evolve, leading to new API exploitation methods.
Rising Volume and Complexity of API Vulnerabilities
API vulnerabilities have become more frequent and diverse, with several core issues standing out as major threats. These provide attackers opportunities to exploit weaknesses in the API ecosystem.
Key threats include injection attacks like SQL injection and XSS, where malicious code in API requests enables unauthorized access, data theft, or system compromise. Broken object level authorization (BOLA) attacks let users access restricted objects.
Arellano explained, “Broken object level authentication attacks take advantage of the way that an API is configured without the right granularity of protections, allowing an attacker to get more permissions or more information from that API than they were actually intended to get.” He also added that OWASP has consistently ranked BOLA as the top API vulnerability for years.
Another major risk, broken authentication, occurs when flaws let attackers bypass security and impersonate users. Shadow APIs, undocumented and unmanaged, operate outside security oversight, lacking proper monitoring and elevating the risk of data breaches and compliance violations.
Evolving Attack Vectors Amplifying Security Risks
As APIs grow, cybercriminals adapt and create new attack vectors. API Abuse exploits weak rate limits and access controls to scrape data or exhaust system resources. Business Logic Attacks manipulate API design flaws to commit fraud.
Cybercriminals also use bots and AI to launch large-scale API attacks, exploiting weaknesses at scale. API security defenses remain inadequate, leaving organizations vulnerable.
Lack of Visibility in Multi-Cloud and Hybrid API Environments
API security is challenging in multi-cloud and hybrid environments, where APIs span platforms.
Organizations struggle with unmanaged API growth and security blind spots due to rapid deployments without centralized monitoring. Differing security protocols among cloud providers further complicate uniform protection.
Without centralized monitoring, security teams failed to detect threats in real time, leaving the expanding API ecosystem vulnerable.
The Business Impacts of API Security Failures
API security failures extend beyond immediate financial losses. Organizations face substantial regulatory penalties under GDPR and CCPA for exposing customer data. This erodes trust, leading to customer churn and revenue loss.
Operational disruptions occur as API vulnerabilities trigger outages, impacting business continuity. Reputational damage persists long after technical fixes, making attracting and retaining customers harder. Investigation costs, legal fees, and recovery efforts further strain financial health.
The Essentials of Comprehensive API Security
Effective API security requires a layered approach:
- Pre-deployment testing detects vulnerabilities early.
- Real-time monitoring blocks threats like data scraping and credential stuffing.
- Complete visibility of all APIs, including shadow APIs, prevents security blind spots.
- AI-driven threat detection identifies emerging risks and accelerates responses.
- Simplified deployment ensures seamless integration across multi-cloud and hybrid environments without disrupting existing operations.
This strategy protects APIs throughout their lifecycle while maintaining operational efficiency.
A Unified, Multi-Layered Defense with AWS and Traceable
Modern API security demands multi-layered defenses. AWS and Traceable deliver that by combining robust infrastructure security with advanced runtime protection.
AWS offers enterprise-grade encryption, access controls, and network monitoring that scale APIs. Traceable adds AI-powered monitoring and runtime protection, creating a complete security architecture that shields APIs against evolving threats.
Traceable focuses on API-specific security gaps. It partnered with AWS to “fill in the cracks” where attack opportunities remain, Arellano explained.
Benefits of a Multi-Layered Defense
A multi-layered security strategy intercepts threats at multiple points, reducing exposure and preventing single vulnerabilities from compromising entire systems.
This approach boosts operational resilience in two ways:
- Containing and limiting potential attacks to prevent ecosystem-wide damage.
- Rapid recovery using security measures that maintain protection even if one layer is compromised.
Simplified Deployment and Proactive Defense
A multi-layered approach simplifies deployment in hybrid and cloud-native environments, ensuring consistent protection with minimal complexity. Smooth integration with existing infrastructure is necessary to prevent gaps and disruptions.
Proactive threat detection is key. AI-driven monitoring and machine learning identify threats early, allowing security teams to respond before damage occurs.
Organizations can bolster API security with structured deployment and real-time intelligence while maintaining efficiency.
Conclusion: Securing APIs for the Future
API threats are rapidly adapting, requiring advanced security strategies. Organizations must move beyond siloed security defenses — the stakes are too high.
By joining forces, AWS and Traceable AI provide a multi-layered, unified defense with real-time discovery, advanced threat protection, and seamless deployment for cloud-native environments.
Traceable’s Arellano noted, “As long as an organization or company has information or resources that somebody else wants, you’re never going to be able to stop the arms race of security.”
Don’t wait for a breach. Secure your APIs now. Contact Traceable today to stay ahead of emerging threats.
