Akamai Technologies has released a new State of The Internet (SOTI) report highlighting APAC manufacturers as at great risk as cybercriminals continue to exploit APIs to conduct attacks.
Lurking in the Shadows: Attack Trends Shine Light on API Threats highlights the array of attacks that are targeting APIs and finds that 15% of overall web attacks in APAC targeted APIs from January through December 2023.
The APAC manufacturing sector is most at risk, having suffered the most API-targeted attacks across industries, attracting nearly one out of three (31.2%) of all web attacks.
Akamai expects attacks to spike as the demand for API use increases, and strongly urges organisations to prioritise properly accounting for and securing their APIs – or risk suffering breaches.
APIs have become highly valuable to manufacturers as they enable the use of Industrial Internet of Things devices to increase efficiency, accelerate production and enable real-time management of factories and inventories.
This digital innovation and the rapid expansion of the API economy have presented cybercriminals with new opportunities for exploitation.
Successful attacks against APAC manufacturers can cause serious repercussions worldwide, given Asia’s crucial role as a global manufacturing hub.
“APIs are increasingly critical to organisations, but they are also challenged with protecting APIs effectively, as security is often not properly baked into the rapid development and deployment processes of newer technologies like APIs,” said Reuben Koh, Security Technology and Strategy Director (APJ), Akamai.