Overview
The article discusses Cloudflare's new Sequence Analytics feature for APIs, which enables customers to monitor and protect their API endpoints by analyzing the sequences of requests made by users. It emphasizes the importance of understanding these sequences to detect and mitigate potential API abuse effectively.
What You'll Learn
1
How to utilize Sequence Analytics to monitor API request patterns
2
Why understanding request sequences is crucial for API security
3
When to implement sequence precedence rules for API requests
Key Questions Answered
What is Sequence Analytics and how does it work?
Sequence Analytics is a feature that analyzes the sequences of API requests made by users to identify patterns and potential abuse. It scores these sequences using a Correlation Score to highlight the most important sequences, allowing for better protection of critical API endpoints.
How can API Gateway help in detecting abusive sequences?
API Gateway can enforce rules based on the precedence of API request sequences, logging or blocking traffic that does not match expected patterns. This proactive approach helps in reducing abusive traffic and enhances overall API security.
What challenges are associated with creating sequences for API requests?
Creating sequences poses challenges due to the long-lived nature of sessions and the vast number of possible request combinations. It is essential to identify important sequences rather than just frequent ones, making the task complex and requiring advanced analytical solutions.
What are the next steps for implementing Sequence Analytics?
To implement Sequence Analytics, API Gateway customers can access the feature through the Cloudflare dashboard under the Security tab. They can begin monitoring their API request sequences and apply necessary protections based on the insights gained.
Key Statistics & Figures
Number of distinct API endpoints analyzed
301
This number reflects the diversity of API endpoints within the analyzed sessions.
Total API requests processed in one hour snapshot
260 million
This statistic highlights the scale at which API Gateway operates and the volume of data it can analyze for detecting abuse.
Distinct sequences observed with a sliding window of 10 requests
approximately 780,000
This illustrates the complexity and variety of request sequences that can occur within a session.
Technologies & Tools
Backend
API Gateway
Used for monitoring and protecting API endpoints through Sequence Analytics.
Key Actionable Insights
1Implement Sequence Analytics to gain visibility into API request patterns and enhance security.By understanding the sequences of requests, you can proactively identify and mitigate potential abuse, ensuring that critical endpoints are protected effectively.
2Utilize the Correlation Score to prioritize which API sequences to monitor closely.Focusing on high-correlation sequences can help in identifying unusual behavior and applying appropriate security measures to safeguard your API.
3Establish sequence precedence rules to define the expected order of API requests.This will help in preventing unauthorized access and ensuring that legitimate user actions are not mistakenly blocked.
Common Pitfalls
1
Failing to recognize the importance of request sequences can lead to security vulnerabilities.
Without understanding which sequences are critical, organizations may leave their APIs exposed to abuse, as attackers often exploit the lack of oversight on request patterns.
2
Over-relying on rate limiting without considering request sequences may hinder legitimate user actions.
A low rate limit can block users who may have valid use cases for multiple requests in a short time, leading to a poor user experience.
Related Concepts
API Security Best Practices
Positive Security Models
Volumetric Abuse Protection
Schema Validation