Practical API Security: Discover, Defend, and Secure APIs from Code to Runtime
Solution overview
APIs power the modern digital experience—from banking and ridesharing to fitness and weather apps. As their usage rapidly expands, so do the security risks associate with them. Many organizations face challenges managing both well-documented and hidden (Shadow) APIs, leaving them exposed to potential attacks, data leaks, and compliance violations.
F5 Distributed Cloud Web App and API Protection (XC WAAP) offers a comprehensive solution for discovering, securing, and monitoring APIs in real time. Through automated discovery and schema validation, F5 helps security teams maintain an up-to-date API inventory, detect rogue or undocumented APIs, and enforce robust security policies.
Key Capabilities
API Discovery & Crawler: Automatically detects and maps API endpoints by analyzing live traffic, including Shadow APIs that evade traditional management.
OpenAPI (Swagger) Specification Support: Integrates with existing API specs to build a complete and accurate inventory of known APIs and their methods.
Schema Validation: Ensures request and response structures conform to defined schemas, reducing risk of injection and logic-based attacks.
Security Dashboards: Provides real-time insights into API usage, attack trends, sensitive data exposure, authentication status, and risk scoring.
Business Value
Enhanced Visibility: Centralized API inventory and real-time discovery reduce blind spots in your API ecosystem.
Improved Security Posture: Detect and mitigate threats faster by leveraging behavioral analysis and schema enforcement.
Compliance Readiness: Easily identify and protect sensitive data to meet regulatory requirements (e.g., OWASP API Top 10, GDPR).
Conclusion
F5 Distributed Cloud API Security empowers organizations to protect both documented and undocumented APIs with confidence. By combining discovery, validation, analytics, and automation, it provides a proactive and scalable approach to modern API security—helping you stay ahead of evolving threats and achieve continuous compliance.