APIs have different attack patterns than traditional web apps. The OWASP API Top 10 captures what attackers actually exploit.
Broken Object Level Authorization
Attacker changes an ID in a URL and accesses someone else's data. Check authz on every object access, not just route.
Broken Authentication
Missing MFA, predictable tokens, weak session management. Authentication is a library problem; use proven ones.
Excessive Data Exposure
APIs returning too much. Design response DTOs; don't serialize entire models.
Rate Limiting
Protects both against abuse and against your own bugs amplifying. Implement at the gateway.
Who This Is For
- CISOs and security engineering leads
- Platform engineers implementing security controls
- Engineering leaders preparing for SOC 2, HIPAA, or ISO audits
Common Mistakes
- Buying security products before fixing IAM fundamentals
- Treating compliance as paperwork instead of engineering
- Assuming perimeter security protects cloud workloads
Business Impact
- Audit-ready posture without engineering drag
- Breach blast radius contained at the identity layer
- Security controls that accelerate shipping, not slow it
Frequently Asked Questions
GraphQL security?
Depth limits, query cost analysis, persisted queries. GraphQL has specific attack patterns.
API gateways?
Kong, AWS API Gateway, Cloudflare. Worth it for auth, rate limit, observability.
Public vs internal APIs?
Different threat models. Internal still needs authN/Z — assume breach.
Why AIM Tech AI
- Custom-built systems, not templates or off-the-shelf wrappers
- AI + backend + cloud + infrastructure expertise in one team
- Built for production scale, not demo-day experiments
- Beverly Hills, California — serving clients worldwide
Build Systems, Not Experiments
AIM Tech AI designs and ships AI, cloud, and custom software systems for companies ready to turn technology into real business advantage.
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