If you can't see it, you can't secure it. True API security starts with discovery. Identifying and understanding all of the APIs across your environments is a crucial first step but it's easier said than done. In an era of multi-cloud environments, microservice-based architectures and containerization, APIs are everywhere and they are not always easy to find. FireTail combines native cloud integrations and repository scanning to help you build a complete and detailed picture of your API estate.
API discovery can help identify any unused or redundant APIs within your company - often referred to as shadow or zombie APIs. Doing this allows you to optimize your IT infrastructure and potentially reduce expenditure. API discovery gives security teams oversight into all the API access points, and gives developers insight into all the APIs available, which enables them to use APIs that have already been created instead of devoting hours to developing new ones. This allows your company to reduce spending on development time and resources.
When it comes to API compliance, API discovery plays an important role. The rules and regulations governing data can depend on the industry and the region you are in. These rules and regulations are in place to safeguard sensitive data including credit card details, personally identifiable information (PII), financial data and so on. A breach in API compliance can damage a company's reputation and result in fines. Some common data compliance standards your company may have to conform to include GDPR, HIPAA and SOC 2. Having an inventory of your APIs is crucial in remaining compliant, by having complete visibility over all your APIs you can identify which APIs process sensitive data and implement appropriate security controls.
API discovery is vital and among the first steps when it comes to securing your APIs, essentially if you can’t see it, you can’t secure it. For example, unidentified or unmonitored APIs can be exploited by malicious actors, leading to security breaches and data leaks. This includes so-called zombie APIs and shadow APIs. A zombie API is an API that was deprecated but continues to operate in the background. A shadow, or rogue API is an API that was created but not documented, so it remains unknown within the company. Discovery helps you surface these APIs, exposing potential security vulnerabilities.
Here are some common reasons that people contact FireTail. Feel free to have a look, and reach out if these don't help.
Being able to identify and assess potential security risks starts with knowing what APIs you have and where. With this knowledge, you can put in place measures that prevent unauthorized access, data breaches, and other security risks.
When it comes to adhering to compliance standards like GDPR, HIPAA and others, having a full API discovery and inventory is vital. Doing this ensures you can identify and manage APIs that handle sensitive information, allowing you to put measures in place to protect these APIs and remain compliant.
Yes. If you work with APIs then you should make API discovery a priority. Regardless of whether your company is a startup or a large enterprise, API discovery helps identify, track, and secure APIs.
FireTail can use AI and machine learning to automatically generate API specs for you based on observed activity across the API.
