Episode #51 - Securing the API Frontier with Salt Security

Overview

In this episode of the Incubator Podcast, hosts Satbir Sran and Darren Boyd sit down with Nick Rago, Vice President of Product Strategy at Salt Security, a leading firm in API security. The conversation dives into the evolution of API security, the pioneering role of Salt Security, and the innovative approaches the company takes to address the growing challenges in the API landscape. Rago shares his extensive background in technology, the origins of Salt Security, and how the company is shaping the future of API governance and protection.

API Security Challenges

• Evolving Threat Landscape: APIs have become a prevalent attack vector, with adversaries exploiting business logic flaws that traditional edge defenses (e.g., WAFs, CDNs) cannot detect. Approximately 80% of API breaches are schema-compliant, bypassing conventional security measures.

• Visibility and Governance: Many enterprises lack visibility into their API attack surface, treating APIs as untracked IT assets. This leads to misconfigurations, which account for 70% of API breaches, often requiring minimal technical skill to exploit.

• Industry Awakening: Gartner’s 2024 report highlights API breaches as a top security priority. Enterprises are beginning to treat APIs as critical IT assets, integrating them into CMDBs and establishing governance frameworks.

Salt Security’s Unique Approach

• Intent Analysis: Unlike traditional behavioral analysis, Salt’s patented technology focuses on intent analysis, identifying malicious activities with high fidelity (only 0.02% of behavioral anomalies are malicious). This prevents SOC overload and enables confident blocking states.

• Comprehensive Governance: Salt emphasizes posture governance, helping organizations define and enforce API standards across their ecosystem. This includes integrating with API gateways and management platforms like Kong to ensure consistency.

• Ease of Deployment: Salt’s platform is designed for quick deployment and delivers deep insights rapidly, identifying top attack vectors, vulnerable endpoints, and usage concentrations. Its policy engine is intuitive, with out-of-the-box policies tailored to various industries.

• Ecosystem Integration: Recent innovations, such as integration with CrowdStrike’s Falcon Foundry, allow for API discovery within minutes by leveraging existing EDR footprints, accelerating time to value.

Innovations and Future Directions

• SaltSurface Technology: Introduced last year, this reconnaissance tool identifies externally facing API endpoints, uncovering rogue APIs (e.g., exposed HVAC systems in hotels).

• Data Security and Governance: Salt is expanding its platform to address data security, helping organizations understand what data flows through their APIs and enforce data governance policies.

• AI and LLM Integration: Leveraging advanced machine learning and large language models, Salt’s platform now provides automated SOC feedback, explaining why specific actions (e.g., blocking) are recommended.

• Upcoming Releases: In the first half of 2025, Salt plans to roll out new technologies to further simplify deployment, enhance data governance, and address AI-driven API sprawl.