--- title: "API Security" id: "987538335" type: "page" slug: "api-security" published_at: "2026-01-01T05:19:00+00:00" modified_at: "2026-06-03T06:14:18+00:00" url: "https://accuknox.com/platform/api-security" markdown_url: "https://accuknox.com/platform/api-security.md" excerpt: "What is the difference between API security testing and runtime API security?API security testing focuses on finding issues before release through methods such as spec analysis, code scanning, and vulnerability testing. Runtime API security focuses on monitoring live API behaviour,..." taxonomy_author: - "Mrinal" --- # API Security ## Find and Fix API Risks with AccuKnox's API Discovery, Inventory, and Cataloging [Schedule a Demo](https://accuknox.com/demo) ## Why You Need API Security APIs are now one of the fastest-growing attack surfaces in modern applications. Organizations must secure: Traffic visibility across **external and internal APIs** Sensitive information in **headers and responses** Exposure of **PII and PHI** North-South and East-West traffic segmentation N-S & E-W Traffic-Security Posture Secure vs insecure traffic posture Shadow APIs Zombie APIs Orphan APIs DORA Compliance GDPR Compliance HIPAA Compliance PCI-DSS Compliance OWASP Compliance ## Prioritize APIs attackers can actually exploit, not total API volume AI-enhanced attacks top the list of the biggest percieved threats to API security today, followed by unauthorized access/breaches and insufficient data protection/encryption ## 74% are very concerned about AI-enhanced attacks ## 92% are taking measures to counter AI-enhanced attacks ## 40% aren’t confident in their current security investments ## API Discovery, Inventory & Cataloging ### Runtime API Security and API Traffic Visibility - Uses service mesh sidecars or proxies to inspect secure traffic and detect anomalies. - Exports API instrumentation data in **OpenTelemetry** format for seamless monitoring - Identifies access patterns with a discovery engine and provides a **SaaS or on-prem control plane** for management - Identifies sensitive data assets in API headers, responses ### Static API Security Testing and Spec Analysis - Scans code repositories and analyzes API specs such as **OpenAPI, Swagger, and WSDL** - Extracts endpoint details, peer connections, and access requirements for better enforcement. - Integrates into **CI/CD pipelines** to detect and mitigate risks before deployment ### API Security Testing for OWASP API Risks - Identifies vulnerabilities including the **OWASP API Top 10** - Detects and mitigates injection attacks, broken authentication, and other critical threats - Identifies **shadow, zombie, and orphan APIs** ### Talk to Security Experts ## Ready to Protect Your Sensitive Cloud Assets? ## OWASP API Security Visibility, Built In AccuKnox provides visibility into OWASP API findings so teams can see every API risk mapped to the **OWASP API Security Top 10: 2023**. That includes issues such as: **Broken Object Level Authorization, Broken authentication, Injection risks, Security misconfiguration, Unsafe API exposure**. OWASP’s 2023 API Security Top 10 is the current official OWASP API-specific framework and remains the practical benchmark for API risk mapping and remediation programs. (owasp.org) ### See every API risk mapped to OWASP API 2023. Nothing hidden. ### Broken auth. SQL injection. Unsafe APIs. All surface. All tracked. ### OWASP API Top 10 coverage, built in. Audit-ready from day one. ### Stop chasing API vulnerabilities manually. AccuKnox maps them for you. ## API Security Product Tour Highlights - ### Full Deployment Flexibility Supports SaaS, on-prem, hybrid, and air-gapped deployments with the same feature set. - ### Broad SIEM/SOAR Integration Integrates with 80+ tools, including Splunk, Elastic, Sentinel, and Jira. - ### Compliance Support Helps meet PCI-DSS v4.0, GDPR, and ISO 27001 requirements for data in transit - ### Targeted OWASP Protection Helps stop critical threats including SSRF, security misconfiguration, and broken object level authorization - ### Behavioral Analytics Profiles behaviour across files, processes, network connections, and API activity to detect anomalies. ## AccuKnox API Security Differentiators | Component | AccuKnox | Vendor A | Vendor B | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Runtime Monitoring | | | | | Access Policy Control | | | | | Shadow, Orphan, Zombie APIs | | | | | On-prem, Air-gapped Installation | | | | | Multi Vector Visibility {Process, File, Network, API} | | | | ## AccuKnox API Security Differentiators | Component | AccuKnox | Vendor A | Vendor B | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Runtime Monitoring | | | | | Access Policy Control | | | | | Shadow, Orphan, Zombie APIs | | | | | On-prem, Air-gapped Installation | | | | | Multi Vector Visibility {Process, File, Network, API} | | | | ## API Security Support Across All Workloads & Environments | Category | Support Details | | --- | --- | | Data Plane | API calls from users at North-South gate Inter-microservice calls using east-west traffic | | Control Plane | K8s API Server AWS CloudTrail | | K8s Support | On-prem and managed environments API Server visibility | | Non-K8s Deployments | Leveraging ingress controllers like Nginx/Kong | | AWS Data Plane | Using CloudTrail/CloudWatch App Mesh | | Azure Data Plane | Static Functions, Web Apps | | Google Data Plane | Anthos | ## Enterprise API Security Use Cases ### API Discovery & Traffic Analysis - Discover service-to-service communication, shadow APIs, zombie APIs, and internal/external API access using platform abstractions such as Kubernetes. - Capture and inspect traffic metadata for empirical analysis and compliance. ### API Performance & Monitoring - Track API access metrics (latency, success rate) - Protect against OWASP Web & API attacks using traffic signatures. - Map API specifications to real environment traffic ### DoS Attack & TLS Security - Detect and mitigate DoS attacks early with eBPF XDP. - Identify TLS/certificate misconfigurations - Manage secure connections with tools like “k8tls.” ### Authentication & Sensitive Data Protection - Identify brute-force authentication attempts - Detect sensitive data exposure in API responses ### API Security Testing - Identify vulnerabilities per OWASP API Top 10 - Perform OpenAPI and Swagger-based scans for vulnerability detection - Use LLM-assisted validation to detect secrets and unsecured endpoints - Harden APIs with schema validation, authZ/OPA enforcement, rate limiting, and anomaly detection from runtime telemetry ### Harden APIs with schema validation, authZ/OPA enforcement, rate limiting, and anomaly detection from runtime telemetry. [Get AppSec + CloudSec eBook](https://accuknox.com/ebooks/appsec-cloudsec) ## You Bring The Infrastructure, We Bring you the Security ## Customer Outcomes and Proof Points - Prudent secures 200+ cloud accounts using AccuKnox CNAPP for compliance automation and threat mitigation - IDT Telecom ensures 89% uptime with AccuKnox Zero Trust for IoT/Edge security - AccuKnox CNAPP helps the Federal Government achieve DoD compliance with 20% lower security costs - Buck.AI protects AI/LLM models with AccuKnox, reducing data leakage risks by 85% - DeepOrigin enhances HIPAA compliance, preventing 85% of PII leaks - Replaced legacy CNAPP, cut 85% noise, and secured 18K+ assets across GCP, VMs, and Kubernetes ## See How Customers Accelerate Business And Reduce Risks With AccuKnox ### DevSecOps & Security Teams Love our AppSec/CloudSec/AISec Platform “AccuKnox allows Public Sector agencies and entities to protect themselves against current and emerging threats.” Natalie Gregory, Vice President Enterprise Solution ### DevSecOps & Security Teams Love our AppSec/CloudSec/AISec Platform “Choosing AccuKnox was driven by opensource KubeArmor’s novel use of eBPF and LSM technologies, delivering runtime security” Golan Ben-Oni, Chief Information Officer ### DevSecOps & Security Teams Love our AppSec/CloudSec/AISec Platform “AccuKnox’s strong roadmap offerings in API Security, AI/LLM Security made AccuKnox the best choice for AppSec/CloudSec platform.” David Billeter, Cybersecurity Leader ### DevSecOps & Security Teams Love our AppSec/CloudSec/AISec Platform “At Prudent, we advocate for a comprehensive end-to-end methodology in application and cloud security. AccuKnox excelled in all areas in our in depth evaluation.” Manoj Kern, CIO ### DevSecOps & Security Teams Love our AppSec/CloudSec/AISec Platform “As 5G starts getting broad industry adoption, security is a very critical challenge. It is delightful to see an amazing innovator like SRI work with AccuKnox to deliver critical innovations” Jim Brisimitzis, General Partner ### DevSecOps & Security Teams Love our AppSec/CloudSec/AISec Platform “The discovery process is crucial to making drug discovery faster, smarter, and secure. We are pleased to partner with AccuKnox for their AI Security prowesses” Matt Shlosberg, Chief Operating Officer ### DevSecOps & Security Teams Love our AppSec/CloudSec/AISec Platform “AccuKnox does a tremendous job at showing the complexity of different approaches to Kubernetes security in terms of responding to high severity cloud attacks” James Berthoty, Founder & Security Analyst - - - - - - - ## API Security Platform: Complete Guide ## Guide Topics APIs drive modern apps—but they also create new risks. Explore how AccuKnox helps you secure every API across your cloud-native environment with deep visibility, behaviour-based enforcement, and Zero Trust runtime protection. ### **What is API Security?** API Security is the practice of protecting APIs from misuse, abuse, and attacks—whether they’re public-facing, internal, or third-party integrated. As APIs become central to application architecture, attackers are increasingly targeting them to gain unauthorised access, exfiltrate data, or disrupt services. AccuKnox helps you go beyond traditional scanning by securing APIs **at runtime**—monitoring behaviour, enforcing access controls, and detecting threats as they happen. ### **Why API Security Matters Now** APIs are growing faster than they’re being secured. Modern DevOps pipelines often expose: - Shadow APIs that are undocumented and unmonitored - Broken access controls or over-permissioned endpoints - Insecure third-party integrations - Lack of audit trails and runtime enforcement These challenges lead to API data breaches, lateral movement, and compliance violations. AccuKnox brings clarity and protection by enforcing **Zero Trust at the API layer**—detecting misuse and controlling behaviour dynamically. ### **AccuKnox API Security: Key Capabilities** ✅ **API Discovery & Inventory** Continuously detect known, unknown, and shadow APIs across Kubernetes, containers, and microservices. ✅ **Runtime API Monitoring** Analyse traffic behaviour, usage patterns, and anomalies—mapped to users, services, and namespaces. ✅ **Access Control & Enforcement** Apply least-privilege policies to control which services or roles can access which APIs—and how. ✅ **Zero Trust Runtime Protection** Block unauthorised API access and abnormal behaviour using KubeArmor and eBPF-based controls. ✅ **Threat Detection & OWASP Coverage** Detect OWASP API Top 10 attacks like injection, broken authentication, and data exposure in real time. ### **API Security Components Table** | Component | Focus Area | Key Functions | Ideal For | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | API Discovery | Visibility & Inventory | Identify shadow, zombie, and exposed APIs | DevOps, Platform Teams | | Runtime Monitoring | Behavioral Security | Detect anomalies in traffic and API usage | AppSec, SOC Teams | | Access Policy Control | Identity & Authorization | Enforce RBAC and policy-as-code for API access | Security Engineers | | Threat Detection | Attack Prevention | Block injection, scraping, and broken object-level authorisation | DevSecOps, Security Analysts | | Compliance Reporting | Audit Readiness | Align with SOC 2, PCI-DSS, and HIPAA standards | GRC, Compliance Leads | ### **Why AccuKnox API Security?** Unlike basic API gateways or static scanners, AccuKnox delivers **runtime API security** built for dynamic cloud-native environments: - **eBPF + KubeArmor Enforcement**: Stop unauthorised API access in real time - **Full API Lifecycle Protection**: From discovery to drift detection and live enforcement - **Multi-Cloud & Kubernetes Native**: Secure APIs across AWS, Azure, GCP, and hybrid setups - **Open-Source Driven**: Transparent integration with KubeArmor and policy-as-code modules - **Part of Unified CNAPP**: Connects with CSPM, CWPP, KSPM, and GRC for full-stack protection ### **How to Get Started with API Security** 1. **Connect your clusters or workloads** running microservices 2. **Discover your APIs** across services, namespaces, and environments 3. **Define access and enforcement policies** for API users and services 4. **Monitor traffic in real time** to detect abnormal usage or threats 5. **Continuously refine protection** with behaviour analytics and drift detection ### **API Security Use Cases** - Block injection and object-level attacks on exposed APIs - Discover and secure shadow APIs across your environment - Enforce RBAC and Zero Trust access to internal APIs - Prevent API drift and lateral movement across services - Achieve compliance with SOC 2, PCI, HIPAA, and more **Ready to Dive Deeper?** 👉 [Explore AccuKnox API Security Platform](https://accuknox.com/platform/api-security) 📅[Schedule a Free Demo](https://accuknox.com/demo) 📖[Read the Full Guide on API Security](https://accuknox.com/blog/api-security) ## Latest Resources [API Endpoints & Collections Security](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wn39_xFyK-w) [API Security And Threat Prevention Guide](https://accuknox.com/blog/api-security) [API Security That Goes Deeper](https://accuknox.com/blog/api-security-discovery-visibility) ## API Security FAQs 1 ****What is the difference between API security testing and runtime API security?**** API security testing focuses on finding issues before release through methods such as spec analysis, code scanning, and vulnerability testing. Runtime API security focuses on monitoring live API behaviour, detecting abuse, enforcing policies, and identifying anomalous traffic in production. Strong API programs usually need both. 2 ****How does AccuKnox help detect shadow APIs?**** AccuKnox helps identify APIs through runtime traffic visibility, service mapping, instrumentation telemetry, and API inventory cataloging. This makes it easier to find undocumented, unmanaged, or forgotten APIs that traditional asset records may miss. 3 **How does AccuKnox enforce API security without code changes?** AccuKnox uses **service mesh sidecars, eBPF, and API proxies** to enforce security at runtime—no application code changes needed. We integrate with your existing infrastructure whether you’re running Kubernetes, serverless, or traditional deployments. Policies are enforced through runtime instrumentation that intercepts API calls, validates schemas, applies rate limiting, and blocks threats in real-time. **Deploy enterprise-grade API security in hours, not months**, with zero refactoring. 4 **Which OWASP standard is most relevant for API security?** For API-specific security programs, the **OWASP API Security Top 10: 2023** is the most relevant OWASP baseline. It focuses on API-centric risks such as broken object level authorization, unrestricted resource consumption, and unsafe consumption of APIs. ([owasp.org](https://owasp.org/API-Security/editions/2023/en/0x11-t10/) ) Get a LIVE Tour ## Ready For A Personalized Security Assessment? “Choosing AccuKnox was driven by opensource KubeArmor’s novel use of eBPF and LSM technologies, delivering runtime security” Golan Ben-Oni Chief Information Officer “At Prudent, we advocate for a comprehensive end-to-end methodology in application and cloud security. AccuKnox excelled in all areas in our in depth evaluation.” Manoj Kern CIO “Tible is committed to delivering comprehensive security, compliance, and governance for all of its stakeholders.” Merijn Boom Managing Director