New CS proposal: API Security Cheat Sheet #1865
Description
What is the proposed Cheat Sheet about?
A comprehensive API Security Cheat Sheet that provides technology-agnostic security guidance for all types of APIs (REST, GraphQL, gRPC, WebSocket, etc.). This sheet would serve as a unified reference covering general API security principles, the OWASP API Security Top 10, and modern API security concerns while complementing existing technology-specific cheat sheets.
What security issues are commonly encountered related to this area?
- OWASP API Security Top 10 vulnerabilities: Broken Object Level Authorization, Broken User Authentication, Excessive Data Exposure, Lack of Resources & Rate Limiting, Broken Function Level Authorization, Mass Assignment, Security Misconfiguration, Injection, Improper Assets Management, Insufficient Logging & Monitoring
- API Gateway security misconfigurations
- Inadequate API versioning security practices
- Insecure API documentation exposure
- Third-party API integration vulnerabilities
- Webhook security issues
- API composition and aggregation security flaws
- Microservices API communication security gaps
What is the objective of the Cheat Sheet?
- Provide a unified entry point for API security guidance across all API technologies
- Address the OWASP API Security Top 10 in a consolidated, actionable format
- Cover technology-agnostic security principles applicable to all API types
- Bridge gaps not covered by existing technology-specific sheets (WebSocket APIs, webhooks, API gateways)
- Serve as a quick reference for developers, security professionals, and architects
- Cross-reference existing detailed cheat sheets (REST, GraphQL, gRPC) for specific implementations
What other resources exist in this area?
Existing OWASP CheatSheetSeries coverage:
- REST Security Cheat Sheet (comprehensive REST-specific guidance)
- GraphQL Cheat Sheet (GraphQL-specific security)
- gRPC Security Cheat Sheet (gRPC-specific security)
- Web Service Security Cheat Sheet (SOAP-focused)
- OAuth2 Cheat Sheet (API authentication)
- JSON Web Token for Java Cheat Sheet (token-based auth)
Gap analysis:
- No unified API security reference covering all API types
- Missing OWASP API Security Top 10 consolidated guidance
- Limited coverage of modern API patterns (webhooks, API gateways, microservices)
External resources:
- OWASP API Security Top 10 (separate project)
- NIST SP 800-204 series on microservices security
- Various vendor-specific API security guides
Value proposition:
This cheat sheet would complement, not duplicate existing resources by providing a high-level, cross-cutting view while referencing detailed technology-specific guidance already available in the project.