Exploring Information Security - Exploring Information Security
Timothy De Block
100 episodes
2 days ago
Summary:
Timothy De Block is joined by Sam Chehab to unpack the key findings of the 2025 Postman State of the API Report. Sam emphasizes that APIs are the connective tissue of the modern world and that the biggest security challenges are rooted in fundamentals. The conversation dives deep into how AI agents are transforming API development and consumption, introducing new threats like "rug pulls" , and demanding higher quality documentation and error messages. Sam also shares actionable advice for engineers, including a "cheat code" for getting organizational buy-in for AI tools and a detailed breakdown of the new Model Context Protocol (MCP).
Key Insights from the State of the API Report
API Fundamentals are Still the Problem: The start of every security journey is an inventory problem (the first two CIS controls). Security success is a byproduct of solving collaboration problems for developers first.
The Collaboration Crisis: 93% of teams are struggling with API collaboration, leading to duplicated work and an ever-widening attack surface due to decentralized documentation (Slack, Confluence, etc.).
API Documentation is Up: A positive sign of progress is that 58% of teams surveyed are actively documenting their APIs to improve collaboration.
Unauthorized Access Risk: 51% of developers cite unauthorized agent access as a top security risk. Sam suspects this is predominantly due to the industry-wide "hot mess" of secrets management and leaked API keys.
Credential Amplification: This term is used to describe how risk is exponential, not linear, when one credential gains access to a service that, in turn, has access to multiple other services (i.e., lateral movement).
AI, MCP, and New Security Challenges
Model Context Protocol (MCP): MCP is a protocol layer that sits on top of existing RESTful services, allowing users to generically interact with APIs using natural language. It acts as an abstraction layer, translating natural language requests into the proper API calls.
The AI API Readiness Checklist: For APIs to be effective for AI agents:
Rich Documentation: AI thrives on documentation, which developers generally hate writing. Using AI to write documentation is key.
Rich Errors: APIs need contextual error messages (e.g., "invalid parameter, expected X, received Y") instead of generic messages like "something broke".
AI Introduces Supply Chain Threats: The "rug pull" threat involves blindly trusting an MCP server that is then swapped out for a malicious one. This is a classic supply chain problem (similar to NPM issues) that can happen much faster in the AI world.
MCP Supply Chain Risk: Because you can use other people's MCP servers, developers must validate which MCP servers they're using to avoid running untrusted code. The first reported MCP hack involved a server that silently BCC'd an email to the attacker every time an action was performed.
Actionable Advice and Engineer "Cheat Codes"
Security Shift-Left with Postman: Security teams should support engineering's use of tools like Postman because it allows developers to run security tests (load testing, denial of service simulation, black box testing) themselves within their normal workflow, accelerating development velocity.
API Key Management is Critical: Organizations need policies around API key generation, expiration, and revocation. Postman actively scans public repos (like GitHub) for leaked Postman keys, auto-revokes them, and notifies the administrator.
Getting AI Buy-in (The Cheat Code): To get an AI tool (like a Postman agent or a code generator) approved within your organization, use this tactic:
Generate a DPA (Data Processing Agreement) using an AI tool.
Present the DPA and a request for an Enterprise License to Legal, Security, and your manager.
This demonstrates due diligence and opens the door for safe, approved AI use, making you an engineering "hero".
About Postman and the Report
Postman's Reach: Postman is considered the de facto standard for API development and is used in 98% of the Fortune 500.
Report Origins: The annual report, now in its seventh year, was started because no one else was effectively collecting and synthesizing data across executives, managers, developers, and consultants regarding API production and consumption.
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Summary:
Timothy De Block is joined by Sam Chehab to unpack the key findings of the 2025 Postman State of the API Report. Sam emphasizes that APIs are the connective tissue of the modern world and that the biggest security challenges are rooted in fundamentals. The conversation dives deep into how AI agents are transforming API development and consumption, introducing new threats like "rug pulls" , and demanding higher quality documentation and error messages. Sam also shares actionable advice for engineers, including a "cheat code" for getting organizational buy-in for AI tools and a detailed breakdown of the new Model Context Protocol (MCP).
Key Insights from the State of the API Report
API Fundamentals are Still the Problem: The start of every security journey is an inventory problem (the first two CIS controls). Security success is a byproduct of solving collaboration problems for developers first.
The Collaboration Crisis: 93% of teams are struggling with API collaboration, leading to duplicated work and an ever-widening attack surface due to decentralized documentation (Slack, Confluence, etc.).
API Documentation is Up: A positive sign of progress is that 58% of teams surveyed are actively documenting their APIs to improve collaboration.
Unauthorized Access Risk: 51% of developers cite unauthorized agent access as a top security risk. Sam suspects this is predominantly due to the industry-wide "hot mess" of secrets management and leaked API keys.
Credential Amplification: This term is used to describe how risk is exponential, not linear, when one credential gains access to a service that, in turn, has access to multiple other services (i.e., lateral movement).
AI, MCP, and New Security Challenges
Model Context Protocol (MCP): MCP is a protocol layer that sits on top of existing RESTful services, allowing users to generically interact with APIs using natural language. It acts as an abstraction layer, translating natural language requests into the proper API calls.
The AI API Readiness Checklist: For APIs to be effective for AI agents:
Rich Documentation: AI thrives on documentation, which developers generally hate writing. Using AI to write documentation is key.
Rich Errors: APIs need contextual error messages (e.g., "invalid parameter, expected X, received Y") instead of generic messages like "something broke".
AI Introduces Supply Chain Threats: The "rug pull" threat involves blindly trusting an MCP server that is then swapped out for a malicious one. This is a classic supply chain problem (similar to NPM issues) that can happen much faster in the AI world.
MCP Supply Chain Risk: Because you can use other people's MCP servers, developers must validate which MCP servers they're using to avoid running untrusted code. The first reported MCP hack involved a server that silently BCC'd an email to the attacker every time an action was performed.
Actionable Advice and Engineer "Cheat Codes"
Security Shift-Left with Postman: Security teams should support engineering's use of tools like Postman because it allows developers to run security tests (load testing, denial of service simulation, black box testing) themselves within their normal workflow, accelerating development velocity.
API Key Management is Critical: Organizations need policies around API key generation, expiration, and revocation. Postman actively scans public repos (like GitHub) for leaked Postman keys, auto-revokes them, and notifies the administrator.
Getting AI Buy-in (The Cheat Code): To get an AI tool (like a Postman agent or a code generator) approved within your organization, use this tactic:
Generate a DPA (Data Processing Agreement) using an AI tool.
Present the DPA and a request for an Enterprise License to Legal, Security, and your manager.
This demonstrates due diligence and opens the door for safe, approved AI use, making you an engineering "hero".
About Postman and the Report
Postman's Reach: Postman is considered the de facto standard for API development and is used in 98% of the Fortune 500.
Report Origins: The annual report, now in its seventh year, was started because no one else was effectively collecting and synthesizing data across executives, managers, developers, and consultants regarding API production and consumption.
A conversation with Kyle Andrus on Info Stealers and Supply Chain Attacks
Exploring Information Security - Exploring Information Security
41 minutes 29 seconds
2 months ago
A conversation with Kyle Andrus on Info Stealers and Supply Chain Attacks
Summary:
In this episode, Timothy De Block sits down with guest Kyle Andrus to dissect the ever-evolving landscape of cyber threats, with a specific focus on info stealers. The conversation covers everything from personal work-life balance and career burnout to the increasing role of AI in security. They explore how info stealers operate as a "commodity" in the cybercriminal world, the continuous "cat and mouse game" with attackers, and the challenges businesses face in implementing effective cybersecurity measures.
Key Takeaways
The AI Revolution in Security: The guests discuss how AI is improving job efficiency and security, particularly in data analytics, behavioral tracking, and automating low-level tasks like SOC operations and penetration testing. This automation allows security professionals to focus on more complex work. They also highlight the potential for AI misuse, such as for insider threat detection, and the "surveillance state" implications of tracking employee behavior.
The InfoStealer Threat: Info stealers are a prevalent threat, often appearing as "click fix" or fake update campaigns that trick users into granting initial access or providing credentials. The data they collect, including credentials and session tokens, is sold on the dark web for as little as two to ten dollars. This fuels further attacks by cybercriminals who buy access rather than performing initial reconnaissance themselves.
The Human and Business Challenge: As security controls improve, attackers are increasingly relying on human interaction to compromise systems. The speakers emphasize that cybercriminals, "like water, follow the path of least resistance." The episode also highlights the significant challenge for small to medium-sized businesses in balancing risk mitigation with operational costs.
Software Supply Chain Attacks: The discussion touches on supply chain attacks, like the npm package breach and the Salesforce Drift breach, which targeted third parties and smaller companies with less mature security controls. They note the challenges of using Software Bill of Materials (SBOMs) to assess the trustworthiness of open-source components.
Practical Cybersecurity Advice: The hosts discuss the need to rethink cybersecurity advice for non-tech-savvy individuals, as much of the current guidance is impractical and burdensome. While Timothy De Block sees the benefit of browser-based password managers when MFA is enabled, Kyle Sundra generally advises against storing passwords in browsers and recommends more secure password managers.
Exploring Information Security - Exploring Information Security
Summary:
Timothy De Block is joined by Sam Chehab to unpack the key findings of the 2025 Postman State of the API Report. Sam emphasizes that APIs are the connective tissue of the modern world and that the biggest security challenges are rooted in fundamentals. The conversation dives deep into how AI agents are transforming API development and consumption, introducing new threats like "rug pulls" , and demanding higher quality documentation and error messages. Sam also shares actionable advice for engineers, including a "cheat code" for getting organizational buy-in for AI tools and a detailed breakdown of the new Model Context Protocol (MCP).
Key Insights from the State of the API Report
API Fundamentals are Still the Problem: The start of every security journey is an inventory problem (the first two CIS controls). Security success is a byproduct of solving collaboration problems for developers first.
The Collaboration Crisis: 93% of teams are struggling with API collaboration, leading to duplicated work and an ever-widening attack surface due to decentralized documentation (Slack, Confluence, etc.).
API Documentation is Up: A positive sign of progress is that 58% of teams surveyed are actively documenting their APIs to improve collaboration.
Unauthorized Access Risk: 51% of developers cite unauthorized agent access as a top security risk. Sam suspects this is predominantly due to the industry-wide "hot mess" of secrets management and leaked API keys.
Credential Amplification: This term is used to describe how risk is exponential, not linear, when one credential gains access to a service that, in turn, has access to multiple other services (i.e., lateral movement).
AI, MCP, and New Security Challenges
Model Context Protocol (MCP): MCP is a protocol layer that sits on top of existing RESTful services, allowing users to generically interact with APIs using natural language. It acts as an abstraction layer, translating natural language requests into the proper API calls.
The AI API Readiness Checklist: For APIs to be effective for AI agents:
Rich Documentation: AI thrives on documentation, which developers generally hate writing. Using AI to write documentation is key.
Rich Errors: APIs need contextual error messages (e.g., "invalid parameter, expected X, received Y") instead of generic messages like "something broke".
AI Introduces Supply Chain Threats: The "rug pull" threat involves blindly trusting an MCP server that is then swapped out for a malicious one. This is a classic supply chain problem (similar to NPM issues) that can happen much faster in the AI world.
MCP Supply Chain Risk: Because you can use other people's MCP servers, developers must validate which MCP servers they're using to avoid running untrusted code. The first reported MCP hack involved a server that silently BCC'd an email to the attacker every time an action was performed.
Actionable Advice and Engineer "Cheat Codes"
Security Shift-Left with Postman: Security teams should support engineering's use of tools like Postman because it allows developers to run security tests (load testing, denial of service simulation, black box testing) themselves within their normal workflow, accelerating development velocity.
API Key Management is Critical: Organizations need policies around API key generation, expiration, and revocation. Postman actively scans public repos (like GitHub) for leaked Postman keys, auto-revokes them, and notifies the administrator.
Getting AI Buy-in (The Cheat Code): To get an AI tool (like a Postman agent or a code generator) approved within your organization, use this tactic:
Generate a DPA (Data Processing Agreement) using an AI tool.
Present the DPA and a request for an Enterprise License to Legal, Security, and your manager.
This demonstrates due diligence and opens the door for safe, approved AI use, making you an engineering "hero".
About Postman and the Report
Postman's Reach: Postman is considered the de facto standard for API development and is used in 98% of the Fortune 500.
Report Origins: The annual report, now in its seventh year, was started because no one else was effectively collecting and synthesizing data across executives, managers, developers, and consultants regarding API production and consumption.
