Akamai recorded more than 26 billion application and API
attacks in June 2024
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., July 30,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Akamai Technologies,
Inc. (NASDAQ: AKAM), the cloud company that powers and
protects life online, today released a new State of the Internet
(SOTI) report that shows how growth in demand for applications and
APIs has transformed them into lucrative targets for threat actors.
In Digital Fortresses Under Siege: Threats to Modern
Application Architectures, Akamai notes that it observed more than
26 billion web attacks against applications and APIs in
June 2024 alone, and that these
attacks surged by 49% over the last year.
API abuse in particular is a growing concern for businesses that
increasingly rely on these gateways to provide access to their
capabilities and services. The report notes that attacks against
APIs can occur in various forms, including data breaches, abuse,
and distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks. In fact, Akamai
recorded 108 billion API attacks from January 2023 through June
2024. These relentless assaults against APIs can lead to
data theft, damages to brand reputation, regulatory fines, and
significant financial losses.
Other key findings of the report include:
- High technology, commerce, and social media were the three
industries most targeted by Layer 7 DDoS attacks, with more than 11
trillion attacks in just 18 months.
- DDoS attacks challenge traffic over all ports and protocols on
Layers 3 and 4 and Layer 7. This includes the Domain Name System
(DNS) protocol, which Akamai research observed to be a component in
60% of Layers 3 and 4 DDoS attack events in the past 18
months.
- The commerce industry has been victim to the most web
application and API attacks, with more than double the number of
attacks than any other sector (high technology was second).
- Local file inclusion (LFI), cross-site scripting (XSS), SQL
injection (SQLi), command injection (CMDi), and server-side request
forgery (SSRF) attacks remain prevalent vectors that target
business applications and APIs.
"Successful attacks against applications and APIs are becoming
more common and they can impact an organization's revenue and
reputation," said Rupesh Chokshi,
Senior Vice President and General Manager, Application Security,
Akamai. "With Digital Fortresses Under Siege: Threats to Modern
Application Architectures, we provide an in-depth look at
how attackers target apps and APIs and share effective strategies
to prevent these dangerous incursions, ensuring your organization
remains resilient."
Digital Fortresses Under Siege: Threats to Modern Application
Architectures includes a security spotlight that offers advice on
mobile app user agreements. The report also features snapshots for
the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and Asian-Pacific and
Japan (APJ) regions that provide
data and case studies particular to those areas.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of Akamai's State of the
Internet (SOTI) reports. The SOTI series provides expert insights
on the cybersecurity and web performance landscapes, based on data
gathered from Akamai Connected Cloud.
About Akamai
Akamai powers and protects life online.
Leading companies worldwide choose Akamai to build, deliver, and
secure their digital experiences — helping billions of people live,
work, and play every day. Akamai Connected Cloud, a massively
distributed edge and cloud platform, puts apps and experiences
closer to users and keeps threats farther away. Learn more about
Akamai's cloud computing, security, and content delivery solutions
at akamai.com and akamai.com/blog, or follow Akamai Technologies on
X, formerly known as Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Contact
Jim
Lubinskas
Akamai Media Relations
703.907.9103
jlubinsk@akamai.com
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SOURCE Akamai Technologies, Inc.
