Product showcase: Shift API security left with StackHawk

With the proliferation of APIs, and the speed at which AI functionality is helping fuel innovation, a strategic approach for securing APIs is no longer a nice to have, it’s a criticality. Without a proactive approach, your APIs could become easy targets for attackers. StackHawk is here to flip the script by offering a proactive, Shift-left API security solution that helps organizations secure their APIs from the start, not after it’s too late.

StackHawk’s platform revolves around three core pillars that redefine API security: API discovery, API security testing, and oversight. Together, these pillars form a comprehensive security program that enables security and development teams to find and fix vulnerabilities early, bring API and application security testing into CI/CD workflows and maintain continuous oversight of your security posture.

API discovery: Find hidden APIs

Traditional API monitoring only shows traffic alerting you too late to risks that already exist. With today’s speed of development, API sprawl is accelerated – leading to API’s that are unknown or undiscovered, or as the market refers to them as “shadow” or “zombie” APIs. These APIs, left unsecured, can be a goldmine for attackers. StackHawk’s API discovery addresses this problem head-on, providing a reliable way to automatically discover all APIs tied to your source code, before they hit production.

Unlike traditional monitoring tools that passively track API usage, StackHawk integrates directly with your source code, allowing you to proactively uncover and secure APIs in real time.

Why StackHawk’s API discovery is a game-changer:

• Proactive, source code-based discovery: StackHawk scans your code repositories (GitHub, Bitbucket, Azure DevOps, etc.) to find APIs you didn’t even know existed. This proactive method eliminates the risk of shadow APIs lurking in the dark.
• Real-time attack surface mapping: As APIs are discovered, StackHawk automatically maps your attack surface, providing a clear, actionable view of what needs protection.
• Complete API security: By identifying APIs tied to your source code, StackHawk ensures security starts before APIs are deployed—before attackers can exploit them.

API security testing: Shift-left security done right

Catching vulnerabilities early, while APIs are still in development, is critical to preventing costly breaches. StackHawk’s API Security Testing is built to empower development teams to shift-left by embedding security testing directly into the development pipeline. This means vulnerabilities are identified and remediated before they reach production, saving time, money, and potential disaster.

Unlike post-production security testing that is reactive and inefficient, StackHawk’s approach is developer-centric and integrates easily into CI/CD pipelines, ensuring security is part of every deployment.

Key features of StackHawk’s API security testing:

• Automated real-time testing: Every time code is pushed, StackHawk runs automated tests for common vulnerabilities like SQL injection, XSS, and OWASP Top 10 risks.
• Seamless developer workflow integration: Security is no longer a blocker. StackHawk provides instant feedback, offering developers clear, actionable insights that don’t slow down development, emphasizing a culture in which developers own the security of their code.
• Custom test configurations: Tailor security tests to meet the specific needs of your APIs. Whether it’s ensuring compliance with industry standards or testing for niche vulnerabilities, StackHawk adapts to your unique requirements.
• Comprehensive coverage: Proactively automate security testing across all APIs technologies including; gRPC, GraphQL, REST, SOAP and services.

Oversight: Continuous security at scale

Security must be continuous—not an afterthought. StackHawk’s Oversight feature delivers real-time visibility into the security health of your APIs, ensuring proactive management as they evolve. With Oversight, your team stays ahead of threats, maintaining confidence in your API security as your organization grows.

What makes StackHawk’s oversight stand out:

• Centralized security management: Oversight consolidates security data across all your applications and APIs into one centralized dashboard, making it easier to monitor scan frequency, outstanding findings, and attack surface coverage. This gives teams a bird’s-eye view of their entire security posture.
• Proactive vulnerability monitoring: With Oversight, security teams are alerted to gaps in coverage, such as applications that haven’t been scanned recently or new API routes that haven’t been tested, helping ensure comprehensive and continuous security.
• Scalability for growing API ecosystems: Oversight is designed to scale with your organization, effortlessly supporting teams with multiple applications and environments, while providing enhanced filtering, search capabilities, and detailed insights into application security across the board.

Why StackHawk is the only choice for modern API security

What sets StackHawk apart from traditional solutions? Many API security solutions focus on monitoring or testing APIs after they are already in production. StackHawk takes a proactive approach, ensuring APIs are discovered, tested, and secured long before they hit production. This shift-left approach means vulnerabilities are caught early, security is integrated into the development lifecycle, and your team can avoid costly breaches down the line.

StackHawk vs. competitors:

• True shift-left security: Unlike monitoring tools that wait for APIs to be exposed before securing them, StackHawk integrates with your source code, enabling proactive security testing throughout development.
• Developer-first security: StackHawk empowers developers with instant feedback and clear guidance to remediate issues quickly. Security no longer needs to slow down development—it’s a natural part of the workflow.
• Full lifecycle API security: From discovery to testing to oversight, StackHawk offers complete API security coverage, giving organizations confidence that their APIs are secured from development through deployment.

Secure your APIs with StackHawk

StackHawk’s modern approach to API and application security testing has led the way in shift-left security. With StackHawk you can discover all of your APIs and applications to better understand your attack surface, fix security bugs faster with frequent testing earlier in the software delivery cycle and maintain a strong security posture with ongoing oversight of your security program.

Get started with StackHawk with a free two-week trial here.