In 2024, API breaches surged, highlighting the critical role APIs play in business operations while also expanding the attack surface in the digital landscape. As one of the most vulnerable components of the modern IT environment, APIs—when not properly secured—can become entry points for malicious actors to exploit, leading to significant data exposure and security breaches. The impact of these breaches is not only financial; it also causes severe reputational damage and loss of customer trust.

In fact, recent data from Imperva reveals that 68% of organizations experienced an API security breach that resulted in costs exceeding $1 million. This underscores the importance of proactive API security measures. 

Platforms like Treblle are essential, helping organizations monitor, analyze, and protect their APIs to prevent breaches before they occur. To understand the scale and impact of recent API security challenges, it’s valuable to examine the most notable breaches of 2024, each providing insights into common vulnerabilities and critical security gaps that organizations must address to protect sensitive data, as seen in the Dotpe API breach.

Below, we summarize the major API breaches of 2024, emphasizing the need for strong API security. Each breach offers critical insights into vulnerabilities like those found in mobile app APIs, underscoring common pitfalls and reinforcing the value of secure API practices.

Summary of Major API Breaches in 2024

1. FireTail's API Breach Report

• Impact: Over 1.6 billion records exposed across various sectors.
• Nature of Breach: Data leakage due to authentication and authorization issues. The travel and automotive industries were particularly affected.
• Source: Businesswire

2. MOVEit API Vulnerability

• Impact: Affected numerous organizations in the digital supply chain, leading to massive operational disruptions.
• Nature of Breach: Exploitation of weaknesses in the MOVEit API, highlighting critical flaws in supply chain security.
• Source: National Cyber Security Centre

3. NHS Ransomware Attack

• Impact: Sensitive information of nearly 1 million patients was exposed, including critical health records.
• Nature of Breach: Attackers published personal medical data online after the NHS refused to pay the ransom, demonstrating the dangers of ransomware tactics.
• Source: The Record

4. CBIZ Client Data Theft

• Impact: Affected nearly 36,000 individuals, resulting in identity theft and legal ramifications.
• Nature of Breach: Sensitive client data was stolen due to misconfiguration of API endpoints.
• Source: Daily Security Review

5. BIZ Benefits & Insurance Services

• Impact: Nearly 36,000 clients had their sensitive data compromised.
• Nature of the Breach: A vulnerability in a web page allowed attackers to steal personal data over a period of months.
• Source: Daily Security Review

6. Slim CD Payment Processing

• Impact: 1.7 million consumers across the US and Canada had their payment data exposed.
• Nature of the Breach: A massive credit card database breach resulted from unauthorized access to sensitive payment systems.
• Source: Infosecurity-magazine

7. Fortinet

• Impact: Hackers accessed customer data stored in a third-party cloud drive.
• Nature of the Breach: Vulnerabilities in third-party integration led to the compromise of sensitive customer data.
• Source: Dark reading

8. Avis Car Rental Breach (August 2024)

• Impact: Nearly 300,000 customer records compromised
• Nature of Breach: Unauthorized access to business applications, exposing sensitive customer data.
• Source: Bleeping Computer

9. French Retailers (Boulanger, Cultura, Truffaut) Breach (June 2024)

• Impact: Hackers stole sensitive customer data from several retail brands.
• Nature of Breach: Data leakage due to weak API security measures.
• Source: Teiss

10. Franklin County, Kansas Breach (May 2024)

• Impact: A ransomware attack exposed the personal data of nearly 30,000 residents.
• Nature of Breach: Data exposure via APIs connected to internal records.
• Source: The Record

Analysis of Each Breach

Case Study 1: FireTail's API Breach Report

Overview

In 2024, FireTail’s comprehensive API security report brought attention to a significant surge in data breaches involving APIs. 

Over 1.6 billion records were exposed across various industries, with sectors like travel and automotive being among the hardest hit. The breach data revealed that the primary attack vectors included authentication and authorization failures, leaving sensitive user information vulnerable to exploitation. 

These breaches had a wide-reaching impact, causing both financial and reputational damage to the affected companies, leading to a sharp decline in consumer trust across various markets.

Cause

The vulnerabilities reported in the FireTail API breach report predominantly stemmed from weak or outdated authentication mechanisms. APIs across industries failed to implement robust security protocols such as OAuth 2.0 or multi-factor authentication, allowing attackers to bypass weak access controls. 

Additionally, several breaches occurred due to insufficient observability—companies weren’t tracking API requests in real-time or using automated anomaly detection tools, allowing unauthorized access to go undetected for extended periods. 

This lack of API governance best practices and real-time visibility into API behavior made it easier for attackers to exfiltrate large amounts of data undetected, demonstrating the need for more advanced and continuous API security measures.

Mistakes Leading to the Breach

• Lack of regular security assessments.
• Failure to enforce strict API access controls.
• Inadequate monitoring of API usage, leading to blind spots in identifying unusual activities.

How Treblle Could Have Helped

Treblle offers API observability that provides deep insights into API requests and responses. 

By analyzing over 40 different data points per request, Treblle helps teams identify potential security flaws before they can be exploited. 

• Real-Time Monitoring: With Treblle’s real-time monitoring features, organizations can track API requests as they happen, receiving alerts for any suspicious activities or anomalies in user behavior. 

This immediate insight could have highlighted unauthorized access attempts and allowed for rapid responses.

• Error Tracking and Alerts: Treblle’s error tracking capabilities would have flagged any failed requests that deviated from expected patterns. 

By analyzing the reasons behind these errors, teams could have quickly implemented fixes, reducing the window of vulnerability.

• Performance Analytics: By using performance analytics, businesses could gain visibility into response times and latency issues, enabling them to optimize their API operations. 

This could lead to identifying potential security flaws, such as zombie endpoints or outdated API versions that could be exploited by attackers.

Case Study 2: MOVEit API Vulnerability

Overview

In mid-2024, one of the most widely discussed breaches involved the MOVEit API, a secure file transfer service used by numerous organizations across the globe. 

This breach impacted various industries, notably the digital supply chain, with several businesses reporting data exposure and operational disruptions. MOVEit’s vulnerability surfaced when hackers exploited an API endpoint to gain unauthorized access to sensitive data, leading to widespread panic and an eventual system shutdown. 

The breach compromised personal and corporate data from multiple organizations, significantly affecting the supply chain's reputation.

Cause

The breach was a direct result of insufficient validation and outdated security protocols within the API. Hackers took advantage of this oversight by targeting an API endpoint that wasn’t sufficiently protected by multi-layered authentication or security tokens. Once the endpoint was compromised, attackers had unfiltered access to the backend systems, where they could extract valuable information. 

The vulnerability wasn’t immediately detected, exacerbating the problem as data was leaked over several days. 

This incident highlighted how crucial it is for organizations to continuously assess and reinforce their API security measures, particularly in industries relying heavily on interconnected systems.

Mistakes Leading to the Breach

• Lack of observability into API interactions.
• Inadequate access controls on sensitive endpoints.
• Failure to update APIs and patch vulnerabilities regularly.

How Treblle Could Have Helped

Treblle’s API governance tools could have played a significant role in preventing this breach:

• API Governance: Treblle allows teams to score and assess their APIs across various parameters such as health, security, and compliance, as described in 5 Ways API Governance Can Enhance Your Security Foundation.

By using Treblle’s governance features, organizations could establish clear guidelines and best practices for API security, ensuring that all endpoints are properly secured and maintained.

• Automated Alerts: Treblle’s automated alert system would notify teams of any configuration changes that could lead to vulnerabilities. 

By immediately flagging any potential misconfigurations, teams could proactively address issues before they escalate.

• Audit Trails: With comprehensive audit trails, Treblle enables organizations to review changes made to API endpoints. 

This level of transparency can assist teams in identifying when and how vulnerabilities were introduced, allowing for corrective actions and better future practices.

Case Study 3: NHS Ransomware Attack

Overview

One of the most devastating API breaches in 2024 involved a ransomware attack on the UK's National Health Service (NHS). 

This breach exposed the personal medical data of nearly one million patients, including highly sensitive information such as cancer diagnoses and sexually transmitted infection (STI) details. After gaining access, the attackers demanded a ransom, threatening to publish the compromised data if their demands were not met. 

When the NHS refused to comply, the hackers followed through on their threat, releasing a trove of confidential patient data online. This incident had immediate and long-lasting impacts, from damaging patient trust to exposing the NHS to legal scrutiny.

Cause

The attack exploited an API vulnerability within the NHS’s patient record management system. The breach occurred due to a lack of secure access controls and weak API token management, which allowed attackers to access sensitive patient data. 

Additionally, the API handling the data lacked proper encryption, leaving it exposed to man-in-the-middle attacks. A critical oversight in monitoring API traffic and user authentication contributed to the attack going undetected until it was too late. 

This case exemplifies the importance of implementing strong encryption standards, comprehensive API observability, and zero-trust principles to mitigate risks, especially in highly sensitive sectors like healthcare.

Mistakes Leading to the Breach

• Insufficient data encryption measures.
• Lack of training for employees on recognizing phishing attempts.
• Inadequate incident response plans.

How Treblle Could Have Helped

Treblle's API security features could have mitigated risks significantly:

• Data Encryption: Treblle promotes best practices in API design, including data encryption for sensitive information. 

By implementing strong encryption protocols, the NHS could have safeguarded patient data even in the event of a breach.

• Threat Detection: Treblle's advanced threat detection system checks every API request for common vulnerabilities, such as SQL injections and unauthorized access attempts. 

This proactive approach helps prevent potential exploits before they can lead to significant damage.

• Incident Response Preparation: By utilizing Treblle’s insights, organizations can develop and refine incident response plans, preparing teams to react effectively in case of a breach. 

Regular simulations based on Treblle’s data would enhance their readiness against future attacks.

Case Study 4: CBIZ Client Data Theft

Overview

Between June and September 2024, CBIZ, a financial services and business consulting company, experienced a breach that affected over 36,000 individuals. 

Sensitive client data, including personal identifiers and financial information, was stolen through a vulnerability in one of CBIZ's web-facing APIs. This breach not only affected clients but also caused significant reputational damage to CBIZ, as customers lost trust in their ability to safeguard sensitive data.

Cause

The root cause of this breach was a misconfigured API endpoint that lacked sufficient access controls. Attackers exploited this weakness to gain unauthorized access to the server, where sensitive data was stored.

Furthermore, CBIZ’s security team had not implemented proper API governance practices, allowing this misconfiguration to go unnoticed for months. The failure to audit and validate API endpoints regularly left the system open to external threats. 

This incident highlights the critical need for ongoing governance, API security assessments, and regular validation of API configurations to mitigate such risks.

Mistakes Leading to the Breach

• Poorly configured access controls on client data APIs.
• Lack of regular audits to identify misconfigurations.
• Absence of monitoring for unusual access patterns.

How Treblle Could Have Helped

Treblle's observability tools could have effectively addressed these vulnerabilities:

• Endpoint Detection: Treblle automatically detects API endpoints and identifies misconfigurations that could expose sensitive data.

By ensuring that only authorized users have access, organizations can prevent data leaks.

• Collaborative Workflows: With Treblle’s tagging and commenting features, teams can collaborate more effectively on API security. 

By discussing potential vulnerabilities in real time, they can create a culture of security awareness and vigilance.

• Regular Audits: Treblle encourages teams to conduct regular audits of their APIs to ensure compliance with security best practices. 

This proactive approach could have prevented the misconfiguration that led to the theft of sensitive client data.

Case Study 5: BIZ Benefits & Insurance Services

Overview

BIZ Benefits & Insurance Services, a well-established player in the insurance industry, experienced a significant API-related breach between June and September 2024. 

During this period, a vulnerability in one of its web pages was exploited, allowing unauthorized access to sensitive client information. 

This breach impacted nearly 36,000 individuals, with compromised data ranging from personal identification details to sensitive financial information.

Cause

The root cause of this breach was traced to a misconfigured API endpoint that lacked proper authentication mechanisms. 

This exposed the backend infrastructure to external actors who exploited the flaw to extract data. Compounding the issue, outdated encryption methods were used for the storage of client information, making it easier for attackers to decrypt the data once accessed.

A lack of proper observability tools also meant that this breach went unnoticed for months, causing further damage.

Mistakes Leading to the Breach

• Misconfigured API endpoint without proper authentication.
• Outdated encryption methods for storing sensitive data.
• Lack of API observability allowed the breach to go undetected for months.
• Insufficient security audits on the exposed web page and backend systems.

How Treblle Could Have Helped

Treblle’s API observability platform offers a solution tailored to avoid such breaches. By analyzing over 40+ API-specific data points on every request, Treblle could have provided BIZ Benefits with real-time visibility into their API traffic. 

• Real-Time Alerts: Treblle’s automated alerts notify teams of suspicious activities instantly. 

Had BIZ Benefits utilized Treblle’s alert system, they would have been notified of unusual request patterns early in the breach, allowing them to act before significant damage occurred.

• Endpoint Detection: One of Treblle’s standout features is the ability to detect zombie and shadow endpoints—endpoints that may have been left unsecured or forgotten. 

In this case, Treblle’s dashboard would have helped BIZ Benefits identify any unused or unnecessary endpoints that might have been vulnerable to attacks, closing off potential entry points for hackers.

• Enhanced API Authentication: Treblle ensures that all API requests adhere to authentication best practices. From token management to API encryption, Treblle’s tools enforce proper authentication protocols, reducing the chance of unauthorized access. 

By implementing this, BIZ Benefits could have fortified their API gateway, making it much harder for attackers to exploit vulnerabilities.

• IP Reputation Checks: Treblle includes automatic IP reputation checks, identifying suspicious IP addresses associated with malicious activities. 

This tool would have flagged requests coming from high-risk regions or untrusted IPs early in the attack.

• Data Validation: Another critical component is Treblle’s ability to validate every incoming request for SQL injections, malicious code, or unexpected payloads. 

Data validation and sanitization could have prevented attackers from sending harmful requests to compromise sensitive information.

Case Study 6: Slim CD Payment Processing

Overview

Slim CD, a leading payment processing company catering to the US and Canadian markets, suffered a devastating API breach that exposed the credit card data of 1.7 million consumers between 2023 and early 2024.

This breach, which targeted a massive database holding sensitive financial records, was a result of improper API access controls, allowing attackers to gain entry into the payment infrastructure.

Cause

The primary cause of the breach was the company's reliance on outdated API authentication methods, which were unable to withstand more sophisticated modern-day cyberattacks. 

Furthermore, the breach was exacerbated by the absence of thorough data validation practices, which allowed malicious API requests to pass through unchecked. 

A critical oversight was the lack of real-time monitoring and anomaly detection, which could have raised red flags as the attack was taking place, but instead allowed the attackers to siphon off sensitive data over an extended period.

Mistakes Leading to the Breach

• Weak API access controls, allowing unauthorized access.
• Outdated API authentication methods vulnerable to modern cyberattacks.
• Absence of data validation and sanitization of API requests.
• No real-time monitoring or anomaly detection to alert on unusual activity.

How Treblle Could Have Helped

Treblle’s tools are specifically designed to detect anomalies and safeguard payment APIs. 

• API Encryption: With Treblle’s built-in API security protocols, Slim CD could have enforced strong encryption standards for all sensitive data. This would ensure that even if data were intercepted, it would be unreadable without the appropriate decryption keys. 

Additionally, Treblle’s encryption compliance checks guarantee that APIs conform to industry best practices like SSL/TLS encryption.

• Real-Time Anomaly Detection: Treblle's anomaly detection could have caught the breach early. Treblle constantly monitors API traffic for abnormal spikes or drops in requests, which would have flagged the unauthorized access attempts. 

These instant notifications would have allowed Slim CD’s engineering teams to take swift action.

• Automated Alerts for High-Risk Requests: Treblle’s API intelligence system would have categorized Slim CD’s requests based on threat levels (low, medium, or high). 

Any unauthorized or potentially malicious request would have been flagged with a high-risk status, triggering an immediate alert to security teams.

• Detailed Performance Analytics: Treblle provides visibility into API performance, including API response times, scalability statistics, and usage patterns. 

Slim CD could have used these analytics to track sudden changes in behavior or performance, often indicative of malicious activities.

• Access Control and Authentication: Treblle enforces zero-trust policies for API access.

If Slim CD had implemented this approach, unauthorized users would have been blocked from accessing sensitive data by requiring additional authentication and authorization layers.

Case Study 7: Fortinet

Overview

Fortinet, a global leader in cybersecurity solutions, faced an ironic breach in early 2024 when hackers exploited vulnerabilities in a third-party cloud storage service used by the company. 

The breach led to the unauthorized access of sensitive customer files stored on the cloud, undermining Fortinet’s reputation for safeguarding digital assets. 

The breach highlighted the risks associated with third-party dependencies and the lack of proper API observability for external integrations.

Cause

The root cause stemmed from a misconfigured API connection between Fortinet’s systems and the third-party cloud service. This allowed attackers to intercept data flows and exploit the vulnerability in the API communication. 

Another contributing factor was the absence of continuous API performance and security audits, leaving the breach undetected for a prolonged period. Attackers capitalized on this window of opportunity, accessing critical customer data without triggering any internal alarms.

Mistakes Leading to the Breach

• Misconfigured API connection with a third-party cloud service.
• Over-reliance on external third-party integrations without thorough security checks.
• Lack of continuous API security audits or performance reviews.
• No real-time alerts or observability on data flows between Fortinet and the third-party provider.

How Treblle Could Have Helped

• Third-Party API Monitoring: Treblle enables teams to monitor the behavior of third-party services and how they interact with their APIs. By offering real-time insights into third-party API performance. 

Fortinet could have detected issues early and taken proactive steps to mitigate them.

• Visibility into API Requests: Treblle tracks and visualizes API request flows, offering a 360º view of all API interactions, including third-party APIs. 

This would have alerted Fortinet to unusual requests or patterns within the third-party system.

• Security Audits and Governance: Treblle’s API governance tools ensure compliance with security standards across all connected APIs, including third-party services. 

Fortinet could have enforced regular audits of their API connections, catching potential security gaps in third-party integrations.

Case Study 8: Avis Car Rental Breach 

Overview

In August 2024, Avis Car Rental, a globally recognized car rental service provider, suffered a significant API-related breach. 

The breach led to unauthorized access to customer data, exposing sensitive information like personal identification numbers, driving license details, and booking histories. 

The attack caused substantial disruptions, impacting Avis’ operations across various regions. With millions of customers worldwide, Avis faced widespread public scrutiny and reputational damage due to the mishandling of customer information.

Cause

The root cause of the breach was traced back to an outdated API endpoint that was left unsecured, which had not been updated in accordance with the latest security protocols. Despite Avis's reliance on legacy systems, the lack of API observability and auditing allowed the vulnerability to go unnoticed. 

This oversight provided attackers an opportunity to exploit the API, gaining access to critical data without detection. 

The breach underscored the importance of maintaining up-to-date API security practices and having proper oversight on the API lifecycle.

Mistakes Leading to the Breach

• Outdated API endpoint: The API had not been updated in accordance with modern security protocols, leaving it vulnerable.
• Lack of API observability: Avis did not have proper monitoring tools in place to detect potential vulnerabilities in real-time.
• Legacy systems reliance: The continued use of outdated infrastructure created additional security gaps.

How Treblle Could Have Helped

• Real-Time API Insights: Treblle would have provided Avis with 24/7 monitoring of API traffic, allowing the team to detect unusual spikes or unauthorized access attempts. 

If a suspicious request was made, the system would immediately flag it for review.

• Automated Alerts: Treblle’s automated alerts notify teams in real time about potential security risks. When a high volume of sensitive requests was detected, Avis could have been alerted instantly, allowing their engineers to act before any data was compromised.
• Anomaly Detection: Through request tracing and data visualization, Treblle analyzes API traffic and detects anomalies that might indicate a breach. 

In Avis's case, the unauthorized access would have been caught early on, possibly preventing the data from being accessed.

• Vulnerability Insights: Treblle grades APIs on their security, identifying weaknesses in authentication or data exposure. 

Avis’s outdated API protocols would have been flagged as a high-risk vulnerability, prompting preemptive action to update security protocols.

Case Study 9: French Retailers (Boulanger, Cultura, Truffaut) Breach 

Overview

In June 2024, three major French retailers, Boulanger, Cultura, and Truffaut, fell victim to a coordinated API attack that compromised their e-commerce platforms. 

These retailers, with a collective customer base in the millions, experienced unauthorized access to customer accounts, purchase histories, and payment details. 

The breach caused widespread disruptions, forcing the retailers to temporarily halt online transactions and engage in a massive cleanup operation to restore trust and security.

Cause

The breach stemmed from poorly configured API security rules across their shared e-commerce backend, which facilitated unauthorized access. The retailers had previously relied on outdated API management practices that did not account for newer attack vectors. 

Their shared infrastructure allowed the attackers to exploit one vulnerability, which cascaded across all three platforms. 

This incident highlighted the dangers of centralized API structures without robust security measures in place, particularly in industries where customer data is highly valuable.

Mistakes Leading to the Breach

• Poorly configured API security rules: Inconsistent security configurations across platforms left APIs exposed.
• Shared infrastructure vulnerabilities: Centralized API structures allowed one breach to compromise multiple retailers.
• Failure to update API management practices: The retailers did not account for evolving security threats in their API lifecycle.

How Treblle Could Have Helped

In this scenario, Treblle’s API governance tools could have made a difference. 

• Data Encryption Checks: Treblle continuously monitors APIs for adherence to best security practices, including proper encryption protocols. 

In this breach, Treblle would have flagged the weak encryption as a security concern, urging immediate action to strengthen the response encryption.

• API Security Audits: Using Treblle’s API Insights, these retailers could have proactively reviewed the security of their APIs. 

Treblle runs over 30 different security checks and would have pointed out vulnerabilities in data validation and request handling.

• IP Reputation and Firewall: Treblle tracks IP reputation and provides intrusion prevention by recognizing malicious IP addresses. 

In this case, hackers accessing the APIs from questionable locations would have been flagged and blocked from interacting with the retailers' APIs.

• Endpoint Detection: Treblle helps discover and eliminate zombie or shadow endpoints—often forgotten or unmonitored API endpoints that attackers target. 

In this breach, ensuring endpoint visibility could have minimized the attack surface, limiting access points for hackers.

Case Study 10: Franklin County, Kansas Breach 

Overview

In May 2024, Franklin County, Kansas, was hit by an API breach that exposed sensitive citizen records, including social security numbers, tax information, and legal documents. 

This breach significantly affected government operations, leaving citizens vulnerable to identity theft and fraud. 

The county's digital services were temporarily halted, leading to a major disruption in administrative processes and public services.

Cause

The breach was caused by an exposed API endpoint that was inadvertently made public without proper authentication mechanisms. The API, which was intended for internal use by the county's staff, was left open due to a misconfiguration in their security policies. 

The lack of API observability and oversight meant that this exposure went unnoticed for months, allowing malicious actors to easily exploit the endpoint and gain unauthorized access. 

This incident highlighted the risks associated with improper API security hygiene, especially in public sector organizations handling sensitive information.

Mistakes Leading to the Breach

• Exposed API endpoint: The endpoint was inadvertently made public without adequate authentication mechanisms.
• Misconfigured security policies: Inadequate internal security checks allowed for vulnerabilities to go unnoticed.
• Lack of API observability: The absence of comprehensive API oversight tools prevented early detection of the breach.

How Treblle Could Have Helped

For Franklin County, Treblle could have offered substantial support in both prevention and response:

• Access Monitoring and Control: Treblle’s platform enforces strict access control through authentication and authorization mechanisms, ensuring that only legitimate requests are processed.

In this breach, Treblle could have detected unauthorized access attempts and blocked malicious users from gaining access.

• Zero-Trust Approach: Treblle operates on a zero-trust model, where every incoming API request is evaluated based on threat level and reputation. 

By assigning threat levels to each request, Treblle would have helped Franklin County quickly spot and stop malicious requests before they compromised data.

• Real-Time Alerts: Upon detecting the initial signs of the ransomware attack, Treblle’s real-time alerts could have informed the security team immediately, allowing them to isolate the affected APIs and limit the scope of the breach.

Common Patterns and Vulnerabilities in 2024 API Breaches

The API breaches in 2024, including those 10 major ones mentioned in this article, reveal recurring issues that continue to plague organizations:

• Inadequate API Security Configurations: Across multiple breaches, companies failed to implement robust security configurations for their APIs. This oversight allowed attackers to exploit weak points, such as exposed endpoints, and improperly set access controls. For instance, both the Avis Car Rental and French Retailers breaches highlighted the consequences of poor security practices, emphasizing the critical need for comprehensive API governance.
• Outdated Infrastructure and APIs: A recurring theme in 2024 was the reliance on outdated APIs and legacy systems that lacked modern security features. The Avis Car Rental breach was a prime example of how outdated infrastructure can create vulnerabilities, making it easier for attackers to gain unauthorized access. This highlights the importance of regularly updating and maintaining APIs to keep pace with evolving security standards.
• Lack of API Observability: The absence of adequate monitoring tools for API traffic and performance was evident in all mentioned API breaches. The inability to detect suspicious activity in real-time, as seen in the Franklin County breach, underscores the significance of API observability. Companies must prioritize continuous visibility into their API landscape to quickly identify and respond to potential threats.

Conclusion

The API breaches of 2024 serve as a stark reminder that, as businesses continue to integrate APIs into their operations, security cannot be an afterthought. The rise in API-related breaches highlights a few common vulnerabilities, including inadequate access controls, outdated security protocols, and a lack of real-time monitoring—each of which has contributed to significant financial losses, operational disruptions, and damage to customer trust.

Strengthening API security requires a proactive approach with several key measures: enforcing robust authentication practices, conducting regular security audits, and continuously monitoring API traffic for anomalies. Implementing a zero-trust model, encrypting sensitive data, and deploying real-time observability tools like Treblle are also essential steps. These tools provide visibility into API performance, detect suspicious activities, and enforce API governance practices that prevent unauthorized access.

As the API landscape evolves, so do the techniques used by malicious actors to exploit vulnerabilities. Businesses must stay vigilant by keeping up-to-date with the latest API security standards and actively investing in security infrastructure to protect their digital assets. The stakes are high; the cost of inaction isn’t limited to compliance fines or direct financial losses—it includes long-lasting impacts on customer loyalty and brand reputation.

By learning from these breaches and implementing a comprehensive API security strategy, organizations can better protect themselves against future threats. Prioritizing API observability, real-time monitoring, and continuous improvement in security protocols will help businesses navigate the complex API security landscape, reduce their risk exposure, and build customer trust in a secure digital environment.