Kong API Security Perspectives for 2025

Keypoints

• The reports are structured into main sections such as threat landscape analysis, current security challenges, and recommended mitigation measures, providing a comprehensive overview of recent developments and future risks.
• Key statistics reveal that 83% of executives acknowledge new opportunities from AI investments, yet 75% express concern about AI-enhanced attacks, with 55% experiencing an API security incident in the past year.
• Major threats include AI-enhanced cyberattacks, shadow APIs, and misconfigured APIs, with API breaches causing significantly higher data leaks compared to traditional security breaches.
• Despite frequent incidents, a disconnect persists; 85% of organizations are confident in their security measures, even though many lack sufficient investment or visibility, underscoring a potential false sense of security.
• Organizations rely heavily on monitoring tools, API gateways, and anomaly detection, but less than half employ comprehensive zero-trust frameworks, highlighting gaps in proactive security strategies.
• API governance, regular audits, and adherence to compliance standards like GDPR and HIPAA remain vital, with organizations increasing use of API documentation, version control, and third-party governance tools.
• The rise of AI models and large language models (LLMs) introduces new vulnerabilities, prompting most organizations to adopt AI-specific security policies and AI gateways to manage risks effectively.
• Proper AI implementation requires careful governance, with human error and policy bypasses remaining weak points; education and well-defined protocols are essential for responsible AI integration.
• Overall, API security is more critical than ever in the AI age, with projections showing attack volumes increasing over 548% by 2030, emphasizing the urgency for robust, adaptive security measures.