Mitigating OWASP Web Application Risk: Vulnerable and Outdated Components using F5 BIG-IP
This article provides information on the Struts 2 vulnerability (CVE-2017-5638) , one of the dangers posed by vulnerable and outdated components. It highlights how a single unpatched vulnerability in a widely used framework can lead to catastrophic consequences, including data breaches, server compromise, and damage to an organisation's reputation and how we can protect it using F5 BIG-IP Advanced WAF.The API Security Paradox: When Automation Becomes Both Solution and Threat
Introduction APIs are the backbone of modern applications, powering everything from web and mobile experiences to microservices architectures. Their scalability and flexibility drive digital transformation. Yet, this rise brings a paradox: the automation that fuels innovation is also being exploited by attackers. Automated threats have evolved from simple scrapers to sophisticated botnets capable of mimicking human behavior with alarming accuracy. This has turned APIs into both business enablers and prime attack surfaces. To navigate this complexity, organizations need a unified, adaptive security approach combining Bot Management and API Security solutions. Evolving Access Patterns Traditional bot defenses—like browser fingerprinting or JavaScript injection—were designed for client-side interactions. Today, APIs are accessed through diverse channels, including: Web Clients: Browser-based users interacting with front-end applications. Mobile Apps: Mobile SDKs communicating directly with backend APIs. Automated Systems (Machine-to-Machine): Scripts, services, and third-party systems connecting to APIs via automation tools or command-line clients. How Attackers Exploit APIs Regardless of how an API is accessed—via a browser, mobile app, or another machine—attackers use automation to probe, exploit, and abuse vulnerable endpoints. These attacks increasingly mimic legitimate traffic, making them harder to detect using conventional methods. Common API Exploits Credential Stuffing: Automating login attempts with stolen credentials, often against login endpoints used by web and mobile apps. Token Abuse: Reusing or forging access tokens to impersonate legitimate users or services. Business Logic Attacks: Manipulating normal workflows to commit fraud - such as faking transactions or hoarding limited resources. Enumeration: Mapping out hidden or undocumented APIs by fuzzing parameters or interpreting verbose errors. Scraping: Harvesting data from public, or semi-public APIs, including pricing, inventory, or personal data. Traffic Obfuscation: Rotating headers, IPs, and user agents to evade rate limits or detection. Challenges in Securing Diverse APIs Each API access type brings distinct challenges in detecting and mitigating automated threats, especially as traffic becomes increasingly distributed, dynamic, and machine-driven. Web endpoints are vulnerable to headless browsers and human-like automation, complicating the differentiation between real users and bots. Mobile SDKs introduce complexities like device spoofing and platform diversity, which hinder consistent threat detection. Machine-to-machine APIs pose difficulties due to the lack of user behavior signals and a heavy reliance on token validation. This makes them attractive targets for attackers. Across all API types, organizations must also tackle coordinated attacks, distinguish benign from malicious bots, and manage escalating defense costs. These factors underscore the need for an adaptive, multi-layered API protection strategy. API Security and Bot Management: A Unified Approach Given these evolving threats and access-specific vulnerabilities, traditional defenses like firewalls and static rate limits are no longer sufficient. Organizations must implement a unified strategy that combines API Security and Bot Defense. API Security ensures robust authentication, authorization, and application-level threat detection. Bot Defense adds an essential layer of protection against advanced, automated attacks that closely mimic human behavior. Together, they deliver comprehensive coverage for both user-facing and backend APIs. Defending abuse, particularly from high-volume automated threats, requires deep traffic visibility, behavioral analysis, and real-time enforcement. This multi-part series will explore how integrating these capabilities can help organizations safeguard their APIs against the full spectrum of modern threats. In this video, we explore how bot management and threat modeling play a critical role in addressing the OWASP API Security Top 10. Conclusion: Defending Against the Double-Edged Nature of Automation The API economy thrives on automation, but that same automation is being exploited by attackers. Malicious bots target the APIs businesses depend on to scale and innovate, turning these critical tools into points of abuse. As APIs serve as both front doors and backdoors to vital systems, protecting them demands more than perimeter defenses. To stay secure, organizations must adopt a dual-layered defense that combines advanced bot management with proactive API security. This approach ensures that both human and automated traffic is continuously monitored, analyzed, and controlled to prevent abuse. This article highlights the evolving API threat landscape and the paradox of automation as both enabler and risk. In the next part of this series, we’ll explore the OWASP API Security Top 10 and show how organizations can build a modern, threat-aware API security strategy to defend against emerging vulnerabilities. Related content F5 Distributed Cloud Bot Defense (Overview and Demo) Configure Bot Defense Standard (Connectors) Introduction to OWASP API Security Top 10 2023 | DevCentral
