Akamai App & API Protector

Akamai App & API Protector is an enterprise-grade Web Application Firewall (WAF) that protects websites and web applications from sophisticated cyber threats including zero-day exploits, OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities, and targeted attacks. Deployed across Akamai's global edge network, App & API Protector analyzes billions of web requests daily, using machine learning and real-time threat intelligence to identify and block malicious traffic before it reaches origin servers.

Advanced Threat Detection and Prevention

App & API Protector employs multiple detection mechanisms working in concert to identify threats. Signature-based detection recognizes known attack patterns including SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), remote file inclusion, and command injection attempts. Unlike traditional WAFs that rely solely on signatures, Kona incorporates behavioral analysis that identifies anomalous patterns indicating zero-day exploits or novel attack methods. Machine learning algorithms continuously analyze traffic patterns to establish baselines for normal behavior. The system flags requests that deviate from expected patterns, such as unusual parameter values, suspicious header combinations, or atypical request sequences. This adaptive approach enables detection of sophisticated attacks that evade signature-based defenses, including polymorphic threats that change their appearance to avoid recognition.

OWASP Top 10 Protection

• Injection Attacks: Prevents SQL, NoSQL, LDAP, and OS command injection through input validation and sanitization
• Broken Authentication: Detects credential stuffing, brute force attacks, and session hijacking attempts
• Sensitive Data Exposure: Blocks attempts to access configuration files, database dumps, or API keys
• XML External Entities: Prevents XXE attacks that attempt to read internal files or perform SSRF
• Broken Access Control: Identifies and blocks unauthorized access attempts to restricted resources
• Security Misconfiguration: Detects exploitation of default configurations and verbose error messages
• Cross-Site Scripting: Blocks reflected, stored, and DOM-based XSS attacks across all input vectors
• Insecure Deserialization: Prevents remote code execution through malicious serialized objects
• Known Vulnerabilities: Protects against exploitation of disclosed vulnerabilities in frameworks and libraries
• Insufficient Logging: Enhanced logging and alerting for security-relevant events

API Security and Protection

As organizations increasingly rely on APIs for digital services, App & API Protector provides specialized protection for RESTful and GraphQL APIs. The platform validates API requests against defined schemas, ensuring that only properly formatted requests reach backend systems. Rate limiting prevents API abuse while granular access controls ensure that clients access only authorized endpoints. API discovery capabilities automatically map API endpoints and parameters, identifying shadow APIs that may bypass traditional security controls. The system monitors API traffic for anomalies including excessive data retrieval, unusual parameter combinations, or requests from unexpected locations. This visibility enables security teams to identify compromised API keys, credential misuse, or data exfiltration attempts.

Bot Management and Mitigation

App & API Protector distinguishes between legitimate users, beneficial bots like search engine crawlers, and malicious automated traffic. The platform analyzes hundreds of signals including TLS fingerprints, HTTP headers, JavaScript execution capabilities, mouse movements, and keystroke dynamics to accurately classify traffic sources.

• Credential Stuffing Defense: Detects and blocks automated login attempts using stolen credentials
• Content Scraping Protection: Prevents unauthorized data extraction and intellectual property theft
• Inventory Hoarding: Blocks bots that monopolize limited inventory like concert tickets or product releases
• Price Scraping: Protects competitive pricing intelligence from automated collection
• Account Takeover Prevention: Identifies bot-driven account compromise attempts
• Search Engine Allowlisting: Ensures legitimate crawlers have unfettered access while blocking fake search bots
• Custom Bot Policies: Define rules for challenging, rate-limiting, or blocking specific bot types

DDoS Protection and Rate Limiting

Built on Akamai's massive edge infrastructure, App & API Protector absorbs and mitigates distributed denial-of-service attacks at network edge locations before malicious traffic impacts origin servers. The platform has successfully defended against some of the largest DDoS attacks ever recorded, including volumetric attacks exceeding 1.3 terabits per second. The system employs multiple mitigation strategies including traffic scrubbing, rate limiting, connection limits, and geographic filtering. Volumetric attacks are absorbed across thousands of edge servers, preventing any single location from becoming overwhelmed. Application-layer DDoS attacks targeting specific endpoints are identified through request pattern analysis and mitigated through selective filtering that preserves legitimate traffic. Adaptive rate limiting automatically adjusts thresholds based on traffic patterns, preventing false positives during legitimate traffic spikes while quickly identifying and blocking malicious floods. Businesses define rate limits per IP address, user session, API endpoint, or custom criteria ensuring fair resource allocation and preventing abuse.

Positive Security Model and Virtual Patching

Beyond blocking known threats, App & API Protector supports positive security models that allow only explicitly permitted actions. This approach dramatically reduces attack surface by rejecting any request that doesn't match defined allowed behaviors. For web applications with predictable workflows, positive security provides superior protection against zero-day exploits. Virtual patching enables immediate protection against newly disclosed vulnerabilities without waiting for application code changes. When CVE announcements reveal vulnerabilities in frameworks or libraries, Akamai security researchers deploy protection rules within hours, buying development teams time to test and deploy permanent fixes. This capability proves invaluable during emergency response to widespread vulnerabilities like Log4Shell or Spring4Shell.

Advanced Configuration and Customization

• Custom Rules: Create sophisticated detection logic using Akamai's rule language for business-specific threats
• Exception Handling: Define precise exceptions to prevent false positives without weakening overall security
• Attack Groups: Enable or disable protection for specific attack categories based on risk profile
• Slow POST Protection: Mitigate slowloris and slow POST attacks that tie up server resources
• Size Restrictions: Enforce limits on request/response sizes, cookie lengths, and header quantities
• Protocol Enforcement: Require proper HTTP standards compliance and reject malformed requests
• File Upload Controls: Restrict file types, sizes, and scan uploads for malware signatures

Threat Intelligence and Research

App & API Protector leverages Akamai's global visibility into internet traffic, analyzing data from billions of daily requests across thousands of enterprise customers. This unparalleled threat intelligence identifies emerging attack patterns, compromised IP addresses, and malicious tools before they become widespread. The platform automatically updates detection rules as new threats emerge, providing zero-day protection without manual intervention. Security researchers at Akamai actively monitor hacker forums, dark web marketplaces, and vulnerability databases to identify emerging threats. When new attack tools or techniques are discovered, protection rules deploy globally within hours. This proactive approach ensures customers benefit from collective intelligence gathered across Akamai's entire customer base.

Compliance and Regulatory Support

Organizations subject to regulatory requirements benefit from App & API Protector's comprehensive compliance capabilities. The platform supports PCI DSS requirement 6.6 for protecting cardholder data, satisfying either the web application firewall or code review mandate. HIPAA-covered entities use Kona to protect electronic protected health information (ePHI) from unauthorized access. Detailed audit logging captures all security events including blocked attacks, policy changes, and administrative actions. These immutable logs integrate with SIEM platforms for centralized security monitoring and long-term retention. Compliance reports demonstrate security controls to auditors, documenting threat protection measures and policy enforcement.

Security Analytics and Visibility

• Real-Time Attack Dashboard: Monitor incoming threats, attack types, and mitigation actions as they occur
• Threat Intelligence Reports: Understand attack trends, top threat actors, and targeted vulnerabilities
• Geographic Analysis: Identify attack origins and implement geo-blocking for high-risk regions
• Custom Alerts: Receive notifications for specific attack types, traffic anomalies, or policy violations
• Executive Summaries: High-level security posture reports for business stakeholders
• API Access: Programmatically retrieve security data for integration with enterprise security tools

Incident Response and Forensics

When security incidents occur, App & API Protector provides comprehensive forensic capabilities. Detailed request logs capture every aspect of suspicious requests including headers, parameters, cookies, and body content. Security teams reconstruct attack sequences to understand breach attempts, identify exploited vulnerabilities, and implement targeted remediation. Replay capabilities allow security analysts to replay captured requests in safe environments for detailed analysis. This functionality proves invaluable when investigating sophisticated attacks that employ multi-stage exploitation or time-delayed payloads. Integration with Akamai's professional security services provides expert assistance during incident response and threat hunting activities.

Performance and Availability

Unlike on-premise WAF appliances that create performance bottlenecks and single points of failure, App & API Protector operates at network edge with minimal latency impact. Traffic inspection occurs on edge servers close to users, adding typically less than 1 millisecond to request processing time. The distributed architecture ensures no single point of failure can compromise protection or availability. Automatic scaling adapts to traffic fluctuations, maintaining consistent protection during traffic spikes, product launches, or seasonal peaks. Organizations never provision capacity or manage hardware, eliminating operational overhead while ensuring protection scales seamlessly with business growth.

Integration and Automation

• SIEM Integration: Stream security events to Splunk, IBM QRadar, ArcSight, and other platforms
• API Management: Programmatic policy configuration and security data retrieval
• Terraform Support: Infrastructure-as-code deployment for repeatable, version-controlled configurations
• DevSecOps Integration: Incorporate security policies into CI/CD pipelines
• Webhook Notifications: Real-time alerts to incident response platforms

Enterprise Support and Services

App & API Protector includes 24/7/365 security operations center support with dedicated security account managers. Expert security analysts assist with policy tuning, false positive reduction, and threat investigation. Professional services teams provide security assessments, penetration testing, and managed security services for organizations requiring hands-on expertise. Regular security reviews analyze traffic patterns, identify risks, and recommend policy improvements. Quarterly business reviews demonstrate security value through metrics like attacks blocked, vulnerabilities protected, and prevented breaches.

Pricing and Deployment

App & API Protector pricing is customized based on traffic volume, protected applications, and required security features. The platform deploys within hours without hardware installation or network reconfiguration, simply requiring DNS changes to route traffic through Akamai's edge network. Most organizations achieve full deployment within days, immediately benefiting from enterprise-grade protection.