API Security in APAC report uncovers how APAC organisations prioritise testing, access control, and runtime protection to tackle security challenges.

India, August 1, 2024 – APAC organisations are increasingly relying on artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) enabled solutions to tackle a wide array of security challenges around Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), according to F5’s inaugural 2024 Strategic Insights: API Security in APAC report. The report examines the challenges and opportunities in API security in Asia Pacific (APAC), as APIs continue to power the region’s digital experiences.

With APIs increasingly being the point of attack for cybercriminals, one in five APAC organisations have adopted AI/ML technologies to detect and mitigate sophisticated threats, such as server-side request forgery (SSRF) that may be overlooked by traditional security measures. API Gateways (20%) are also widely adopted by organisations across the region for strong access control and to mitigate a broad spectrum of vulnerabilities such as unrestricted access to sensitive business flows.

“Applications have become the front door to cybercrime, and cybercriminals increasingly use APIs as the key. Across the APAC region, we have seen more attacks, with increasing speed, scale and sophistication as cybercriminals leverage AI-powered tools,” said Mohan Veloo, Chief Technology Officer for Asia Pacific, China and Japan, F5. “As such, protecting API connections and the data that runs through them have become the critical security challenge for APAC organisations, especially with many looking to deliver AI.”

 “In India, we are currently witnessing a huge rise in application-based businesses, opening new avenues for cyber attackers, which have led to the rising demand for cybersecurity solutions. Businesses are prioritising investments in security infrastructure, to ensure protection for their applications. According to our 2024 Strategic Insights: API Security in APAC report, the majority of Indian businesses are prioritising API security testing, access control, and runtime protection for comprehensive API security,” said Pratik Shah, Managing Director of India and SAARC, F5. “At F5, we strive to understand our customers' challenges through surveys, offering insights and solutions to help IT decision-makers build a strong security foundation; this report of ours is evidence of the same. The insights in this report offer a strategic overview of API security challenges and opportunities, enabling us to help our customers align challenges to solutions.”

“APAC organisations are facing unique API security challenges that differ significantly from global OWASP rankings. The research highlights the pressing need for tailored security measures to address specific risks such as Broken Authentication, Server-Side Request Forgery, and Security Misconfiguration. Countries like Malaysia, New Zealand, South Korea, and India are prioritising these issues, reflecting the diverse API adoption patterns across the region. It's clear that a focus on robust testing, strong access control and continuous runtime protection is essential for a holistic API security approach in APAC,” said Manoj Menon, Founder and CEO at Twimbit.

While APAC organisations look to protect their APIs during runtime, many also increasingly recognise the importance of guarding APIs right from development. Having robust code security standards and practices (17.5%) has emerged as a fundamental strategy among the region’s organisations to guard APIs against a broad range of complex vulnerabilities, from Broken Object Level Authorization and Security Misconfiguration issues to SSRF.

“Today, API security is more important, but also more complex than ever. Findings from our report clearly show that more organisations are shifting left along the API lifecycle, while still attempting to shield right. F5 is bringing advanced API code testing and telemetry analysis to F5 Distributed Cloud Services, creating the industry’s most comprehensive and AI-ready API security solution. F5 Distributed Cloud Services can offer API discovery, testing, posture management, and runtime protection, all in a single platform, allowing organisations to gain true visibility and security from code to cloud,” Veloo added.

To learn more about the report and findings, please download the full 2024 Strategic Insights: API Security in APAC report here: https://www.f5.com/c/apcj-2024/asset/2024-strategic-insights-api-security-in-apac 

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