Why Your InfoSec Team Needs an API Specialist

Let me start with a question: When was the last time your InfoSec team properly tested an API?

Not just ran it through your existing web app scanner and called it a day. I'm talking about actually understanding GraphQL mutations, testing for broken object level authorization, or checking for mass assignment vulnerabilities.

Crickets, right?

The Painful Reality Check

Here's what I see happening in organizations across Africa and beyond:

Your InfoSec team is brilliant at traditional security. They can spot a SQL injection from miles away, configure firewalls like artists, and run penetration tests that would make any hacker weep.

But when it comes to APIs? They're flying blind.

And honestly, it's not entirely their fault.

The "We've Got This" Delusion

Last month, I spoke with a CISO who proudly told me his team had "comprehensive API security coverage." When I dug deeper, here's what their "comprehensive coverage" looked like:

• They run APIs through their web app scanner

• They check for HTTPS implementation

• They review API documentation (when it exists)

• They monitor for unusual traffic patterns

Sounds good, right? Wrong.

What Your Team Is Missing (And It's Costing You)

1. Shadow APIs - Your developers are shipping APIs faster than your security team can inventory them. That mobile app update last week? It introduced three new endpoints your team doesn't even know exist.

2. Broken Object Level Authorization - It's the difference between a user seeing their own data versus accessing your entire customer database through a single parameter change.

3. API Versioning Nightmares - You're running API v1, v2, and v3 simultaneously. Your security team tested v3, but guess what hackers are targeting? The forgotten v1 that's still processing payments.

GraphQL Complexities - Your traditional security testing treats GraphQL like REST.

The Expensive Band-Aid Solutions

I know what you're thinking: "We'll just buy better tools."

Stop right there.

I've seen organizations spend millions on "API security solutions" only to have them gather digital dust because nobody on the team actually understands how to configure them for real API threats.

Tools without expertise are just expensive decorations for your security dashboard.

The API Specialist Difference

An API specialist doesn't just understand APIs - they think in APIs. They know:

• How to manually test for IDOR vulnerabilities that automated tools miss

• The difference between OAuth 2.0 implementation and OAuth 2.0 security

• Why your rate limiting strategy is probably useless against sophisticated attackers

• How to build API governance that actually prevents sprawl instead of documenting it

The Business Case (Because I Know You Need It)

Let me make this simple for your next board meeting:

Without an API specialist:

• Average time to detect API breach: 287 days

• Cost of API-related data breach: $4.88M average

• Percentage of attacks your current tools catch: ~30%

With an API specialist:

• Time to detection: Days, not months

• Prevention vs. reaction: Proactive threat hunting

• Coverage: Comprehensive API security posture

The Political Reality

Here's the part most consultants won't tell you: Your existing team might resist this.

Why? Because admitting you need an API specialist is admitting that your current security approach has gaps. And nobody likes feeling inadequate.

But this isn't about replacing anyone. It's about adding specialized expertise that complements your existing strengths.

Your network security expert doesn't feel threatened by your application security specialist, right? Same principle.

What You Need to Do Monday Morning

1. Audit your current API testing - Ask your team to demonstrate how they test for broken function level authorization. Watch them squirm.

2. Count your APIs - Not the ones in your documentation. ALL of them. Including the ones your developers "temporarily" deployed six months ago.

3. Review your last three security assessments - How many API-specific vulnerabilities were identified? If the answer is zero, you found your problem.

The Bottom Line

You can keep pretending that traditional application security covers APIs.

You can keep throwing tools at the problem and hoping for the best.

Or you can admit what every forward-thinking CISO already knows: API security is a specialized discipline that requires specialized expertise.

The choice is yours. But choose quickly - because while you're debating, your APIs are bleeding data.

Want to fix that?

👉 Book a consultation with me here.
👉 Follow me on LinkedIn to stay up-to-date with the latest in API security.

See you in the next one. 🔥

Talk soon,
Damilola

P.S. - If you're thinking "but we don't have budget for another hire," remember: the cost of one API breach will fund an API Security specialist's salary for the next five years. Do the math.