What are API security risks?

API security risks refer to vulnerabilities or threats that expose APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) to unauthorized access, data leaks, or system compromise. Common risks include:

• Broken authentication – allowing attackers to impersonate users

• Excessive data exposure – APIs returning more data than needed

• Lack of rate limiting – enabling abuse through brute-force attacks

• Insecure endpoints – exposing internal systems or logic

• Improper input validation – leading to injection attacks like SQLi or prompt injection in AI agents

• Unrestricted access – where APIs execute sensitive functions without proper authorization checks

These risks can result in data breaches, service outages, compliance violations, and significant business impact if not addressed with strong security practices.