IS A LACK OF API SECURITY A THREAT TO YOUR SITE?

By lockradmin | February 2, 2017

Are you worried about the security of your site or application? Is API security one of your top priorities?

Good! It should be a top priority and lucky for you, it’s ours too. Why is security an important issue?

The simple answer: hackers are getting smarter, so securing your digital assets is constantly getting tougher to manage. In just the last few years, the amount of high-profile internet security breaches has gone up substantially, even for the biggest and smartest tech companies out there. In the coming year, we know very well that hackers will go to great lengths to achieve their goals.

API security is a growing threat to WordPress and Drupal.

When you use API keys, you need to take great care and implement best practices in order to safely secure them.

Let’s dig into why you need a stronger security system, some best practices to implement in your business, and how to get a secure API and encryption key management system working for you.  

WHY IS API SECURITY IMPORTANT TO YOU?

Are you confident your site and the information it holds is totally safe from possible data thieves? Do you handle sensitive information like:

  • Financial data
  • Health and medical data
  • Confidential or sensitive business data
  • Government or military data
  • Private individual data (social security #, contact information, purchasing data)

If you store any sensitive information related to the list above (but not limited to), then you should be very aware of the constant security threat to your site.

Depending solely on API keys for security is simply not enough anymore, you need an extra layer of protection. You need to implement API management best practices by identifying a secure place to store your keys. Many site owners are making simple mistakes which exposes their data and puts them at risk. Even some of the top technology companies in the world have experienced security breaches due to API vulnerabilities.

Security is a hot-button issue and many businesses will tell you that once you’ve been breached, it’s tough to gain that trust back with your customers. Top companies like Buffer, Facebook, and Snapchat are not immune to the relentlessness of hackers and thieves. And neither are you or your business. These are some security best practices you can use to help ensure your site’s or application’s safety.

And what about your business’ peak seasons? Have you considered the increase in security breaches during the holidays especially if you work in e-commerce?

BEST PRACTICES FOR SECURING API KEYS

These are a few dos and don’ts to keep in mind.

  1. DO put restrictions on allowed users of your API keys.
  2. DO deactivate and delete unused API keys.
  3. DON’T store API keys in files inside your source code.
  4. DO regenerate API keys regularly.
  5. DO review your code before releasing it.
  6. DON’T store API keys in your database.
  7. DO use a secure API and encryption key management service.

Do you already implement these best practices at your organization? Great!

Maybe you’re not sure yet about the key management services available to you. Let’s take a look at that question.

DO YOU NEED API AND ENCRYPTION KEY MANAGEMENT SERVICES?

Are you considering using a key management service to help boost your API security? It could be a valuable security option for your business. Maybe you’re unsure whether it’s really necessary for you at this time? Regardless of your industry, security is always important. And it’s not just about trusting your developers.

As we previously mentioned, hackers will stop at nothing to obtain your precious data. You’re in good company though, even the top companies in the world right now are struggling with security. You might think your organization is too small to worry about such hackers. Even with a small team or organization, every business wants to grow. And as you grow, so will your online footprint and possible vulnerabilities. You want to address it now while it’s not too late. As you grow, you and your developers will have less and less time to try and cover all your bases if you don’t have a trusted service supporting your site. It’s better to have that safety net before you need it.

Automation is the key to growth.  But this automation comes at a risk, and there are more strategic tasks that you and your developers could be focusing on if you outsourced your API security to a management system. Things like user experience and design can be improved and built upon when your team isn’t constantly worried about API security on the back end.

Sounds scary, right? We don’t mean to scare you instead we want to talk about the reality these days and empower you to take control.

Don’t give yourself the headache of trying to manage it all alone.

Are you ready to improve your API security and limit threats to your site?

Next, we’re going to show you our solution for API and encryption key management.

We are Lockr and we aim to ensure your website and applications are safe. Here’s a little information about us.

WHAT IS LOCKR?

Lockr protects against key vulnerabilities and delivers best practice security systems to help you protect your site or application. Our services will also help ensure your organization complies with industry regulations and/or compliance guidelines. Offering safe and secure offsite key storage that allows you to choose where you want your data stored, we put the power in your hands to protect your users. We also take data sovereignty seriously, offering dedicated EU servers to comply with strict regulations no matter where you are. Easy to use for the novice site owner and advanced enough for the expert developer, Lockr is a service for everyone. Lockr is extremely versatile with simple integrations with Drupal and WordPress and also a REST API to work with any service or application with API or encryption keys including application secrets of all sizes.

You can also rest easy knowing we maintain multiple redundancies to ensure your data is safe and secure no matter what.

We’re an affordable solution for your site or application, the first key is always free and we only charge you for requests over 1500/month. For a closer look at your security investment, use our sample pricing calculator to estimate your monthly cost.

With Lockr, you can relax knowing your data is safe. Contact us for more information or to get started today.