How Salt Catches Low and Slow Attacks While Others Can’t

In the ever-evolving landscape of cybersecurity, API attacks pose significant threats to organizations. These attacks, particularly the low and slow variety, are notoriously challenging to detect and mitigate. Salt Security stands out as the premier solution for identifying and addressing these sophisticated threats, setting a benchmark that competitors struggle to match. Here’s why Salt Security is unparalleled in catching low and slow API attacks:

Understanding Low and Slow API Attacks

Low and slow API attacks are characterized by their subtlety and persistence. Unlike traditional attacks that flood a system with traffic in a short burst, low and slow attacks involve a series of API calls spread over extended periods—hours, days, or even weeks. This approach allows attackers to stay under the radar, making it difficult for conventional security solutions to detect malicious activity.

The Two Phases of API Attacks

Salt Security’s strength lies in its comprehensive coverage of both critical phases of API attacks:

1. Reconnaissance and Probing Phase: During this initial phase, attackers conduct trial-and-error probing of APIs to identify vulnerabilities. This phase can last from days to weeks as attackers meticulously search for weak points without triggering alarms.
2. Exploitation Phase: Once a vulnerability is found, attackers exploit it slowly and discreetly to avoid detection. Each API call typically retrieves a single data record, facilitating a gradual extraction of valuable information.

Salt Security’s Unique Detection Capabilities

Salt Security excels by effectively detecting malicious activity at both the reconnaissance and exploitation phases, which most competitors fail to do. Here’s how:

1. Early Detection During Reconnaissance: Salt Security’s advanced machine learning algorithms and big data architecture allow it to analyze vast amounts of API traffic in real-time. This capability is crucial for identifying the subtle patterns of low and slow attacks early in the probing phase.
2. Comprehensive Analysis Over Long Periods: This is the main differentiator. Unlike competitors that only store and analyze short windows of data (e.g., 10 minutes), Salt Security processes and retains data over much longer periods. This extended analysis window is essential for detecting low and slow attacks that unfold over days or weeks. This capability ensures that no attack goes unnoticed simply because it spans a longer timeframe.
3. Scalable Big Data & ML Architecture: Salt Security’s infrastructure is designed to handle the enormous volumes of data generated by modern APIs. This scalability ensures that every API call is analyzed in context, enabling accurate detection of anomalies that indicate an ongoing attack.

Example: Detecting BOLA Exploits

One of the most popular API vulnerabilities is Broken Object Level Authorization (BOLA). This vulnerability allows attackers to gain unauthorized access to objects in a system. It is the API world equivalent of a Ransomware attack. BOLA attacks can be conducted in a low and slow manner, with attackers making a series of discreet API calls over an extended period to avoid detection.

If a security solution cannot monitor and analyze API calls over long periods, it will fail to detect these slow-moving BOLA attacks. This leaves organizations exposed to one of the most common and dangerous types of API attacks. Most API security solutions only monitor a few minutes of traffic before moving on. Salt Security’s ability to maintain a comprehensive, long-term view of API activity days, hours, months ensures that even the most subtle BOLA exploits are identified and mitigated.

Real-World Effectiveness

Salt Security’s approach to API security is rooted in real-world scenarios, not just controlled lab environments. Traditional security solutions often fall short because they are tested against simulated attacks where vulnerabilities are known and exploitation happens immediately. In contrast, Salt Security simulates real-world conditions by incorporating long-term reconnaissance and gradual exploitation into its testing and detection processes.

Proving the Effectiveness

Salt Security provides concrete evidence of its capabilities through detailed attack graphs and timelines, demonstrating the progression from the initial probing attempt to the eventual exploitation. This transparency helps organizations understand the nature of the threats they face and the effectiveness of Salt Security’s solutions in mitigating those threats.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Salt Security’s ability to detect and prevent low and slow API attacks is unmatched in the industry. By combining early detection during the reconnaissance phase with comprehensive, long-term analysis, Salt Security ensures that no malicious activity goes unnoticed. This robust approach, supported by scalable big data and machine learning technologies, positions Salt Security as the definitive choice for organizations seeking to safeguard their APIs against sophisticated, stealthy attacks.

With Salt Security, businesses can confidently protect their digital assets, knowing that they have the best defense against the most insidious API threats.

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