Unrestricted Access to Sensitive Business Flows - 2023 OWASP Top 10 API Security Risks

Summary

The transcript discusses the challenge of mitigating unauthorized access to sensitive business data and API misuse, especially in e-commerce. It highlights the risk of automated attacks, where bad actors exploit insider knowledge to manipulate product availability and pricing. The conversation emphasizes the importance of monitoring user activity, detecting non-human patterns, and reacting swiftly. Additionally, it suggests using workflow specifications to identify unusual API call patterns and ensure that normal user behavior is maintained. This proactive approach is key to safeguarding business operations from malicious actions.

Takeaways

• 😀 Unrestricted access to sensitive business flows is a new addition to security concerns this year.
• 😀 Business flows can be misused or abused if bad actors gain knowledge of sensitive API data.
• 😀 A potential threat example involves bad actors exploiting information about a new product launch, leading to product shortages and price manipulation.
• 😀 Proper monitoring of user activity is essential to identify abnormal or automated patterns.
• 😀 Reacting quickly to non-human interaction patterns helps mitigate the impact of automated attacks.
• 😀 Blocking or limiting suspicious users immediately can prevent further exploitation of vulnerabilities.
• 😀 Workflow specifications can be used to define normal user activity flows, helping identify unusual or suspicious behavior.
• 😀 Workflow specifications allow you to track business-oriented API flows and pinpoint anomalies.
• 😀 Automated attacks often bypass typical user behavior, such as browsing products before purchasing, to directly target product IDs.
• 😀 Detecting abnormal user flows, such as direct access to specific products by ID, can indicate insider knowledge or malicious activity.
• 😀 Workflow specifications are a useful tool for distinguishing between legitimate user activity and automated abuse in API interactions.

Q & A

What is the primary issue discussed in the transcript regarding API security?

The primary issue discussed is the abuse of APIs through the misuse of sensitive business flows. Bad actors can exploit knowledge about product launches or business events to manipulate the API and take advantage of the situation, such as buying up stock and reselling it at inflated prices.

How can bad actors exploit an API during a product launch?

Bad actors can exploit an API by gaining insider information about a product launch, such as the date and time of release. They can then automate their actions to purchase all available stock as soon as the product becomes available, and later resell it at a higher price.

What is one method of mitigating this type of API abuse?

One method of mitigating API abuse is through proper monitoring of user activity. By continuously tracking interactions with the API, suspicious or non-human patterns of behavior can be detected and responded to quickly, such as blocking or limiting certain users.

Why is monitoring important in defending against API abuse?

Monitoring is crucial because many API attacks are automated. By tracking user activity in real-time, businesses can identify non-human behavior, which is often a sign of malicious activity, and react swiftly to mitigate the threat.

How can workflow specifications help in mitigating API abuse?

Workflow specifications define normal user flows within an API, such as the typical sequence of browsing and purchasing products. By comparing actual user behavior against these predefined workflows, businesses can identify unusual or suspicious activity that might indicate automated abuse.

What are 'workflow specifications' and how do they relate to API security?

Workflow specifications are tools used to define and describe normal API user flows, helping businesses monitor expected patterns of interaction. In the context of API security, they are used to identify deviations from these normal flows, such as direct access to product IDs, which can signal automated attacks.

What is a specific example of abnormal user behavior that might indicate an attack?

An example of abnormal behavior would be a user making a series of rapid, direct requests for a specific product by its ID, bypassing the typical product browsing or categorization process. This suggests that the user might be automating their actions to exploit the API.

How can limiting or blocking users help mitigate API abuse?

Limiting or blocking users can prevent bad actors from continuing their automated actions once they are detected. By quickly identifying and halting suspicious behavior, businesses can stop the abuse before it impacts the system, such as preventing the actor from buying all available stock.

What kind of automated behaviors should businesses look for when monitoring API traffic?

Businesses should look for behaviors that indicate automation, such as high-frequency requests that deviate from normal human interaction patterns. This includes direct access to specific product identifiers, excessive traffic to certain endpoints, or patterns that don't align with typical user activity.

Why is it important to detect non-human patterns in user activity?

Detecting non-human patterns is critical because many API attacks are carried out using bots or automated scripts. Identifying these patterns allows businesses to intervene and prevent misuse before it leads to significant damage, such as inventory depletion or inflated resale prices.