Sony Data Breach: API Security Testing with Akto
Published: 2023-10-11 16:06:58

On September 15, 2023, Sony announced that it had suffered a data breach that exposed the personal information of 1.2 million customers. The breach was caused by a misconfiguration in a Sony API that allowed attackers to access and download customer data.

This data breach is a stark reminder of the importance of API security. APIs are critical to the modern web, but they can also be a security liability if not properly configured. Misconfigured APIs can give attackers access to sensitive data, such as customer information, financial data, and intellectual property.



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## What happened in the Sony data breach?

The Sony data breach was caused by a misconfiguration in a Sony API that allowed attackers to access and download customer data. The specific API that was misconfigured was the Sony PlayStation Network (PSN) API.

The PSN API allows developers to create applications that interact with the PSN. It also allows developers to access user data, such as names, addresses, email addresses, and dates of birth.

In the Sony data breach, attackers were able to exploit a misconfiguration in the PSN API to gain unauthorized access to customer data. The attackers were then able to download and steal the personal information of 1.2 million PSN customers

## How Akto can help you test for API security vulnerabilities


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Akto is an open source API security product that can help you test your APIs for security vulnerabilities. Akto can test for a variety of vulnerabilities, including misconfigurations, broken authentication and authorization, and injection attacks.

To test your APIs for security vulnerabilities with Akto, you can follow these steps:

1. Install Akto.
2. Configure Akto to scan your APIs.
3. Run Akto to scan your APIs for security vulnerabilities.
4. Review the Akto scan results and fix any vulnerabilities that are found.

Akto can be used to scan a variety of API types, including REST, GraphQL, and SOAP APIs. Akto can also be used to scan APIs that are hosted on-premises or in the cloud.

## Example of how to use Akto to test for the Sony data breach vulnerability

The Sony data breach vulnerability was caused by a misconfiguration in the PSN API that allowed attackers to access and download customer data. Akto can be used to test for this vulnerability by scanning the PSN API for the following misconfigurations:

1. **Insecure permissions:** Akto can check to see if the PSN API is granting permissions that are too broad. For example, Akto can check to see if the PSN API is granting developers permission to access all customer data, even if the developer does not need access to all of that data.
2. **Broken authentication and authorization:** Akto can check to see if the PSN API is properly authenticating and authorizing users. For example, Akto can check to see if the PSN API is allowing users to access customer data without properly authenticating.

To test for the Sony data breach vulnerability with Akto, you would first need to configure Akto to scan the PSN API. Once Akto is configured, you can run Akto to scan the PSN API for security vulnerabilities.

If Akto finds any vulnerabilities in the PSN API, you should review the vulnerabilities and fix them. For example, if Akto finds that the PSN API is granting permissions that are too broad, you should restrict the permissions that are granted to developers.

## Benefits of using Akto for API security testing

There are a number of benefits to using Akto for API security testing, including:

1. Akto is open source, which means that it is free to use.
2. Akto is easy to use and configure.
3. Akto can test for a variety of API security vulnerabilities, including misconfigurations, broken authentication and authorization, and injection attacks.
4. Akto can be used to scan a variety of API types, including REST, GraphQL, and SOAP APIs.
5. Akto can be used to scan APIs that are hosted on-premises or in the cloud.

## Conclusion

The Sony data breach is a reminder of the importance of API security. APIs can be a security liability if not properly configured. Misconfigured APIs can give attackers access to sensitive data, such as customer information, financial data, and intellectual property.

Akto is an open source API security product that can help you test your APIs for security vulnerabilities. Akto can test for a variety of vulnerabilities, including misconfigurations, broken authentication and authorization, and injection attacks.

If you are using APIs, you should regularly test your APIs for security vulnerabilities with Akto. This will help you to identify and fix any vulnerabilities before they can be exploited by attackers.