API Security Monitoring: How Rakuten SixthSense Detects and Prevents Attacks

APIs are the backbone of modern applications, enabling seamless communication between microservices, cloud platforms, and third-party integrations. However, as API usage grows, so do security risks, including data breaches, API abuse, and business logic attacks.

🚨 By 2025, over 90% of cyberattacks will target APIs, making real-time security monitoring essential. Organizations that fail to implement proactive API security measures risk compliance failures, financial losses, and operational disruptions.

Rakuten SixthSense offers AI-powered API security monitoring to detect and mitigate threats in real-time. This guide explores how Rakuten SixthSense helps monitor, analyze, and protect APIs from evolving cyber threats.

Common API Security Threats & How Rakuten SixthSense Mitigates Them

1. Unauthorized API Access & Credential Abuse

🔓 Threat: Attackers exploit weak authentication to gain unauthorized access to APIs, stealing sensitive data or modifying critical services.

✅ Rakuten SixthSense Solution:

• Implements Zero Trust API security with role-based access control (RBAC) and multi-factor authentication (MFA).
• Detects credential stuffing attacks and unauthorized API token use with AI-powered anomaly detection.
• Enforces OAuth 2.0, JWT, and API key security policies to prevent token misuse.

2. Business Logic Abuse & API Fraud

⚠️ Threat: Cybercriminals exploit API logic to bypass security controls, conduct fraudulent transactions, or manipulate business processes.

✅ Rakuten SixthSense Solution:

• Uses behavioral analytics to detect abnormal API interactions and business logic abuse.
• Monitors API session activity for irregular transaction patterns and unauthorized API workflow manipulations.
• Provides real-time alerts and automated blocking mechanisms to prevent API fraud.

3. API Abuse & Automated Bot Attacks

🤖 Threat: Bots exploit APIs for data scraping, account takeover (ATO), and API DoS attacks.

✅ Rakuten SixthSense Solution:

• Identifies bot-driven traffic patterns using AI-powered risk scoring.
• Implements bot mitigation strategies, including rate limiting, CAPTCHA enforcement, and anomaly-based throttling.
• Protects APIs from credential stuffing, fake account creation, and automated API exploitation.

4. Shadow APIs & Zombie APIs

👻 Threat: Untracked APIs, deprecated endpoints, or forgotten integrations create security blind spots, increasing attack surfaces.

✅ Rakuten SixthSense Solution:

• Continuously discovers and maps all API endpoints, including undocumented Shadow APIs.
• Identifies deprecated and unmonitored APIs that expose security vulnerabilities.
• Provides automated inventory management to ensure only secure, authorized APIs remain active.

5. API Data Leakage & Compliance Risks

💥 Threat: Misconfigured APIs expose Personally Identifiable Information (PII), financial records, or confidential business data.

✅ Rakuten SixthSense Solution:

• Monitors API responses for unauthorized data exposure.
• Enforces data masking, tokenization, and access control policies to prevent PII leaks.
• Ensures compliance with GDPR, CCPA, PCI DSS, and industry regulations with automated policy enforcement.

6. Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) & Rate-Limiting Violations

🌪 Threat: Attackers flood APIs with excessive requests, causing slowdowns or complete outages.

✅ Rakuten SixthSense Solution:

• Implements AI-powered API traffic analysis to detect and mitigate volumetric attacks.
• Uses dynamic rate limiting and API throttling to prevent API abuse.
• Protects against DDoS, brute force attempts, and excessive API queries.

Rakuten SixthSense API Security Monitoring Features

• 🔹 AI-Powered Anomaly Detection: Identifies real-time API threats based on behavior analytics.
• 🔹 Zero Trust API Security Enforcement: Ensures strict authentication and authorization measures.
• 🔹 Shadow API & Zombie API Discovery: Maps and monitors API inventory to detect unmanaged endpoints.
• 🔹 Automated API Threat Prevention: Blocks malicious API traffic dynamically before damage occurs.
• 🔹 SIEM & Security Tool Integration: Works seamlessly with existing security infrastructures.

🚀 Rakuten SixthSense provides real-time API observability, allowing organizations to proactively detect and prevent API-based threats.

How to Implement Rakuten SixthSense for API Security Monitoring

1. Integrate with API Gateways & WAFs – Ensure comprehensive visibility across API ecosystems.
2. Enable AI-Driven Threat Detection – Detect suspicious API activities before breaches occur.
3. Automate API Security Policies – Set up real-time enforcement mechanisms for blocking threats.
4. Monitor API Performance & Usage – Gain deep insights into API behavior and security risks.

Why Choose Rakuten SixthSense for API Security?

• ✔ Real-Time API Attack Detection: AI-powered security insights with automated threat response.
• ✔ Zero Trust API Security: Ensures only authorized users interact with APIs.
• ✔ Shadow API & Zombie API Monitoring: Detects and eliminates untracked APIs.
• ✔ Automated Compliance & Reporting: Helps businesses meet security regulations effortlessly.
• ✔ Seamless Integration with API Security Tools: Works with WAFs, SIEMs, and DevSecOps workflows.

Final Thoughts: Secure Your APIs Before Attackers Exploit Them

🔹 APIs are the #1 attack vector—real-time monitoring is no longer optional.

🔹 Rakuten SixthSense provides AI-powered security observability to detect and prevent API threats.

🔹 By 2025, organizations implementing proactive API security measures will significantly reduce their risk exposure.

🚀 Want to see Rakuten SixthSense in action? Get a free demo today!

👉 Request a Free Demo