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API Security

What is API Security?

Practices and technologies for protecting application programming interfaces from attacks, abuse, and unauthorized access while ensuring proper authentication and data protection.

Cloud Security

Each of these is named in at least one of the same controls as api security. The number is how many controls name both.

What the standards actually require on api security

Requirements naming api security across 6 standards, quoted from the control text.

API security and access tokens. Control from NIST SP 800-190 framework, domain: NIST SP 800-190: Identity & Access in Cloud.

NIST190-10 · API security and access tokens

Implement Open Banking API security per Common Banking Industry API Standards + OAuth 2.0 + OpenID Connect (OIDC) + FAPI 2.0 (Financial-grade API) + Mutual TLS (mTLS) client authentication. Apply encryption: TLS 1.3 in transit + AES-256 at rest.

NGOB-3 · API Security Standards, mTLS, and Encryption

Address API3:2023 Broken Object Property Level Authorization (BOPLA) per OWASP API Security Top 10 2023. BOPLA combines previous API3 Excessive Data Exposure and API6 Mass Assignment categories.

OWASPAPI-3 · Broken Object Property Level Authorization (BOPLA)
OWASP ASVS2 controls

Per OWASP ASVS V13: secure APIs + web services. Requirements include (a) implement authentication + authorisation consistently across all API endpoints + (b) implement input validation + output encoding + against OWASP API Security Top 10 + (c) maintain API do...

OWASPASVS-13 · API and Web Service Security (V13)
HKMA TM-G-11 control

HKMA TM-G-1 adjacent modules covered in this framework's scope. TM-G-2 BUSINESS CONTINUITY PLANNING: (a) Business Continuity Governance (TM-G-2.2.1) - Board oversight + BCP committee + crisis management + RACI + ownership;

HKMA-TMG1-Adjacent-TMG2-TME1-OR2-BCP-eBanking-Resilience · TM-G-2 BCP + TM-E-1 e-Banking + OR-2 Operational Resilience Adjacent Modules

Questions people ask about api security

What is API Security?
Practices and technologies for protecting application programming interfaces from attacks, abuse, and unauthorized access while ensuring proper authentication and data protection.
Why is API Security important for compliance?
API Security is a key concept in Cloud Security. Understanding api security helps organizations meet regulatory requirements, reduce risk, and demonstrate due diligence during audits. Our compliance platform maps 686 frameworks with 311K cross-framework control mappings.
Which compliance frameworks address API Security?
API Security appears in the requirement text of ISMAP (Japan), NIST SP 800-190, Nigeria Open Banking Regulatory Framework (CBN, 2023), OWASP API Security Top 10 - 2023, OWASP ASVS. Across these standards we have identified 14 controls that name it directly, each linked to the control text on the compliance platform.
Where can I learn more about API Security?
Explore our compliance framework pages to see how api security applies across different standards and regulations. Our implementation guides provide step-by-step guidance, and the compliance platform offers AI-powered analysis of how this concept maps across 686 frameworks.

See how API Security applies across compliance frameworks

Our platform maps 686 frameworks with 311K cross-framework control mappings. Explore how this concept is addressed across standards.

Written and maintained by Gerard Blokdyk, The Art of Service.