API Attacks - Surge of 113% in Daily Incidents Reported
Basically, there are way more attacks on APIs now, which are crucial for apps to work.
Akamai reports a staggering rise in API attacks, with 87% of organizations affected. This shift to behavior-based attacks highlights serious security risks. Organizations must enhance their defenses to combat this growing threat.
What Happened
Akamai's latest report reveals a dramatic 113% increase in the average number of daily API attacks, jumping from 121 in 2024 to 258 in 2025. This surge highlights the growing importance of APIs as the primary attack surface for organizations worldwide. Alarmingly, 87% of organizations reported experiencing an API-related security incident last year, marking a significant shift in the cybersecurity landscape.
The report indicates that 61% of these attacks involved unauthorized workflows and abnormal activities. This shift from traditional web-based attacks to more sophisticated behavior-based attacks suggests that threat actors are evolving their tactics to exploit vulnerabilities more effectively.
Who's Being Targeted
Organizations across various sectors are feeling the pressure as APIs become the focal point for cyber threats. The report emphasizes that sensitive data is increasingly traversing these interfaces, with an average of 3000 APIs per customer containing such information. Unfortunately, 12% of these APIs displayed security weaknesses, with 24% of those weaknesses related to sensitive data exposure.
As enterprises invest heavily in AI technologies, they inadvertently increase their attack surface. The integration of AI with APIs not only enhances functionality but also opens new avenues for exploitation. Attackers are leveraging these vulnerabilities to automate and accelerate their campaigns, making it crucial for organizations to fortify their defenses.
Tactics & Techniques
Akamai's findings reveal a concerning trend of blended attacks that combine API abuse, web application attacks, and Layer 7 DDoS activities. Web application attacks surged by 73% between 2023 and 2025, while Layer 7 DDoS attacks increased by 104% over the same period. This rise is fueled by the availability of DDoS-for-hire services and AI-enabled attack scripts that streamline targeting.
The report highlights that attackers are shifting their focus from high-profile campaigns to degrading performance and increasing infrastructure costs. By automating these attacks, they can execute sophisticated strategies that are both cheap and fast, posing a significant threat to organizations that are unprepared.
Defensive Measures
To combat this alarming trend, Akamai recommends several strategies for Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs):
- Enhance visibility into the environment to tackle DDoS, app, and API attacks effectively.
- Deploy an integrated security platform that adapts to the organization’s risk tolerance.
- Invest in training and validation exercises to ensure that teams are prepared for evolving threats.
- Reference industry best practices, such as OWASP, to prioritize security training and controls.
By coordinating protection across DDoS mitigation, web application firewalls (WAF), API security, and identity-aware controls, organizations can better defend against these increasingly sophisticated threats. As the landscape continues to evolve, staying informed and proactive will be key to maintaining robust cybersecurity defenses.
Infosecurity Magazine