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description: Understanding and Mitigating Common API Security Problems
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# Common API Security Problems

Common API security problems include:

* **Broken Authentication**: Weaknesses in the authentication mechanisms that allow attackers to compromise passwords, keys, or session tokens.
* **Excessive Data Exposure**: APIs that expose more data than necessary, potentially leaking sensitive information.
* **Lack of Resources & Rate Limiting**: APIs that do not implement proper rate limiting, making them vulnerable to denial-of-service (DoS) attacks.
* **Broken Function Level Authorization**: Similar to BOLA, but at the function level, where attackers can access functions they shouldn't.
* **Unsafe Consumption of APIs**: APIs that are not properly secured can be misused by clients, leading to various security issues.
