The year of 2022 represented a record number of cyber attacks on web applications and APIs. When compared to 2021, the recorded growth is 137% and Latin America. This update ends up generating enormous concern because the adoption of API applications is increasingly common among organizations seeking to improve the customer experience..
This data was released by Akamai Technologies, cloud company that works with attack protection, via the SOTI report (State Of The Internet). The study describes how this type of attack has been growing, both in frequency and complexity.
At the moment, criminals are increasingly efficient at identifying innovative means to attack. According to Akamai's marketing manager, Helter Falcao, local file inclusion (FHI) remains the main attack vector. This represents a growth of 193%. Other factors, although, are a severe threat as they lead to remote data and code leaks.
“Furthermore, our experts have listed the key emerging vectors for organizations to keep an eye on 2023. SSTI (Server Side Template Injection) e SSRF (Server Side Request Forgery) are presenting serious commercial risks to organizations, as attacks can lead to remote code execution and data leakage.”, says Helder.
The most affected companies
The Akamai report also pointed out some types of industries that were most affected by the attacks. Many important and relevant organizations have felt the problem and the healthcare sector, for example, recorded an increase in 82% of cases in the last year.
“Cybercriminals target industries with better return on investment based on level of effort, on the value of sensitive data held by the organization and the likelihood of paying the extortion. The assessment of these conditions when carrying out cybercrimes will shape attack trends”, describes Ferrão.
More about web applications and APIs
Whether through the internet or applications, Web applications can be accessed through browsers and based on HTML technologies, Javascript e CCS. They also perform their role from an HTTP server or locally, on the user's device. APIs are a system that bridges a larger structure to smaller ones., enabling integration.
This access happens through applications or software, which allows the creation of a personalized interface and the creation of service platforms in a practical and simple way. An example of this is when there is integration of a social network with a website, enabling quick and practical access.
