Original Post: Unrestricted Resource Consumption — Web API Security Champion
The article explores the common web API vulnerability known as Unrestricted Resource Consumption, which occurs when an API endpoint allows excessive usage of system resources without proper limitations. This vulnerability can cause denial-of-service (DoS) attacks, leading to system overload or financial costs due to excessive resource usage.
A practical example is provided using the Damn Vulnerable RESTaurant API, where a vulnerable endpoint allows unlimited password reset requests, potentially resulting in a high volume of text messages. The cost implications are significant, particularly for text messaging services across different countries.
To mitigate such vulnerabilities, the article recommends implementing rate limiting, enforcing resource usage quotas, using system-level resource limits, continuous resource monitoring, testing resource limits, and performing code reviews. An example of implementing rate limiting using the FastAPI framework with Redis is discussed, along with a Python script to test it.
The piece concludes with practical code examples for addressing vulnerabilities and highlights the importance of these security measures in building robust and resilient APIs. Recommendations include studying and addressing unrestricted resource consumption to protect applications from potential abuses.
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