API Abuse through Mobile Apps: New Attacks, New Defenses
summary
Covers how mobile apps introduce new API attack vectors by demonstrating exploit techniques against a delivery app—examples include stealing or bypassing API keys, abusing OAuth2 user authorization, defeating TLS certificate pinning, attacking HMAC call signing, and bypassing app shielding/attestation. Uses a concrete red-team-style scenario (Shipfast vs ShipRaider) to show how these mobile-specific vulnerabilities affect API infrastructure and outlines defensive considerations for protecting APIs accessed by Android/iOS clients.
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chapters (33)
- 0:00RSAConference 2020 San Francisco February 24-28 Moscone Center
- 1:31The Dark API Economy
- 2:40Mobile Apps Rely on APIs
- 5:16Mobile Attack Surfaces
- 7:24OWASP Security Risks
- 7:56API Defense Objectives
- 9:18The ShipFast Driver App
- 10:37API Sequence for Pick Up and Delivery
- 10:58The Ship Raider Bench and Driver App
- 12:07ShipRaider's API Exploit
- 12:47Initial Security Posture
- 13:37User Authorization is not Service Authorization
- 15:21Common API Gateway Defenses
- 17:20API Proxy Pattern
- 18:54Inspect the App Package
- 20:35Obfuscate Code and Secrets in Code
- 22:08Observe/Manipulate Communication Channel
- 24:34Certificate Pinning
- 26:29Pin the Channel • Generate public key fingerprint
- 27:32Unpin the Channel
- 29:44Block Rooting and Instrumentation
- 31:13Nervous Product Manager
- 31:50a: Use App-Level Message Protection
- 33:40Defense 4b: Removing Secrets from App Package
- 35:37Find Message Signing Secret
- 36:55a: Improve Run-Time Defenses
- 38:34Moving secrets and security decisions off device
- 39:33Defense 5b: Authenticate the App Off Device
- 43:19Attacker Pivots to a Less Secure App
- 43:49OAuth2 Authorization Flow
- 44:13Strengthen OAuth2 with Attested App ID
- 44:50Authorization in Context
- 46:03Apply What You Learn Today
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50mAPI Abuse through Mobile Apps: New Attacks, New Defenses
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