Top 30 multiple-choice questions (MCQs) only focused on the API Security in back-end components covering below topics,along with their answers and explanations.
• Discussing how APIs interact with back-end components.
• Explaining potential security risks and vulnerabilities in API access to back-end resources.
PRACTICE IT NOW TO SHARPEN YOUR CONCEPT AND KNOWLEDGE
1. What is the primary purpose of APIs in the context of back-end components?
- To improve server performance
- To define user interfaces for front-end components
- To enable communication and data exchange between back-end components and external systems
- To prevent unauthorized access
APIs facilitate communication and data exchange between back-end components and external systems.
2. What security principle involves restricting API access only to authorized users or applications?
- Improved server performance
- Least Privilege
- Enhanced data confidentiality
- Prevention of unauthorized access
The security principle involving restricting API access to the least privilege necessary is known as Least Privilege.
3. How can attackers exploit inadequate authentication mechanisms in API access?
- By improving server performance
- By manipulating the server to ignore authentication and gain unauthorized access
- By enhancing data confidentiality
- By preventing unauthorized access
Attackers can exploit inadequate authentication mechanisms by manipulating the server to ignore authentication and potentially gain unauthorized access.
4. What is the significance of rate limiting in API security?
- To improve server performance
- To control the number of requests from a user or IP address within a specified time frame
- To enhance data confidentiality
- To prevent unauthorized access
Rate limiting controls the number of requests from a user or IP address within a specified time frame, contributing to API security.
5. How can input validation contribute to API security?
- By improving server performance
- By enhancing data confidentiality
- By validating and sanitizing input to prevent injection attacks and unauthorized access
- By preventing unauthorized access
Input validation contributes to API security by validating and sanitizing input to prevent injection attacks and unauthorized access.
6. What is the role of API tokens in authentication for secure API access?
- To improve server performance
- To encrypt data transmitted over APIs
- To authorize and authenticate API requests
- To prevent unauthorized access
API tokens play a role in authorizing and authenticating API requests for secure access.
7. How can attackers exploit insecure direct object references (IDOR) in API access?
- By improving server performance
- By manipulating the server to reveal sensitive data through API requests
- By enhancing data confidentiality
- By preventing unauthorized access
Attackers can exploit insecure direct object references (IDOR) to manipulate the server and reveal sensitive data through API requests.
8. What is the risk of insufficiently protected API endpoints?
- Improved server performance
- Unauthorized access and potential data breaches
- Enhanced data confidentiality
- Prevention of unauthorized access
Insufficiently protected API endpoints pose a risk of unauthorized access and potential data breaches.
9. How can attackers exploit lack of encryption in API communication?
- By improving server performance
- By manipulating the server to ignore encryption and eavesdrop on sensitive data
- By enhancing data confidentiality
- By preventing unauthorized access
Attackers can exploit the lack of encryption by manipulating the server to ignore encryption and potentially eavesdrop on sensitive data.
10. What is the significance of API versioning in maintaining security?
- Improved server performance
- To identify and support different versions of APIs, allowing for updates without breaking existing implementations
- Enhanced data confidentiality
- Prevention of unauthorized access
API versioning is significant for maintaining security as it allows the identification and support of different versions, enabling updates without breaking existing implementations.
11. How can attackers exploit insecure API documentation to compromise security?
- By improving server performance
- By manipulating the server to expose sensitive information through inadequate documentation
- By enhancing data confidentiality
- By preventing unauthorized access
Attackers can exploit insecure API documentation by manipulating the server to expose sensitive information through inadequate documentation.
12. What is the role of API keys in securing access to protected APIs?
- To improve server performance
- To encrypt data transmitted over APIs
- To authenticate and authorize API requests
- To prevent unauthorized access
API keys play a role in authenticating and authorizing API requests for secure access.
13. What security measure involves encrypting the data transmitted between clients and APIs?
- Improved server performance
- Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) or Transport Layer Security (TLS)
- Enhanced data confidentiality
- Prevention of unauthorized access
Encrypting data using SSL/TLS is a security measure that enhances data confidentiality in API communication.
14. How can attackers exploit insufficiently protected API endpoints for injection attacks?
- By improving server performance
- By manipulating the server to inject malicious code through insecure endpoints
- By enhancing data confidentiality
- By preventing unauthorized access
Attackers can exploit insufficiently protected API endpoints by injecting malicious code through insecure endpoints.
15. What is the risk of broken authentication in API security?
- Improved server performance
- Unauthorized access due to vulnerabilities in authentication mechanisms
- Enhanced data confidentiality
- Prevention of unauthorized access
Broken authentication poses a risk of unauthorized access due to vulnerabilities in authentication mechanisms within API security.
16. What security measure involves validating and verifying the identity of users or systems accessing APIs?
- Improved server performance
- Authentication
- Enhanced data confidentiality
- Prevention of unauthorized access
Authentication involves validating and verifying the identity of users or systems accessing APIs.
17. How can attackers exploit weaknesses in API rate limiting mechanisms?
- By improving server performance
- By manipulating the server to bypass rate limiting and launch brute force attacks
- By enhancing data confidentiality
- By preventing unauthorized access
Attackers can exploit weaknesses in API rate limiting by manipulating the server to bypass rate limiting and launch brute force attacks.
18. What security measure involves validating and sanitizing user input to prevent injection attacks in API communication?
- Improved server performance
- Input Validation
- Enhanced data confidentiality
- Prevention of unauthorized access
Input validation is a security measure that involves validating and sanitizing user input to prevent injection attacks in API communication.
19. What is the significance of API token expiration in maintaining security?
- Improved server performance
- To enhance data confidentiality
- To limit the duration of validity for API tokens, reducing the risk of unauthorized access
- To prevent unauthorized access
API token expiration is significant in maintaining security as it limits the duration of validity, reducing the risk of unauthorized access.
20. How can attackers exploit flaws in API versioning for malicious purposes?
- By improving server performance
- By manipulating the server to exploit vulnerabilities in older API versions
- By enhancing data confidentiality
- By preventing unauthorized access
Attackers can exploit flaws in API versioning by manipulating the server to exploit vulnerabilities in older API versions for malicious purposes.
