In this series, we examined the vital connection between AI and APIs, highlighting what makes a leader in the API security market through the 2025 KuppingerCole Leadership Compass. Now, we turn to the core strategy of true API security: the full-lifecycle approach, where security is a continuous, integrated process rather than a single action.
The modern enterprise relies heavily on APIs. The KuppingerCole report notes that "92% of organizations increased API usage over the past year, with many operating hundreds to thousands of undocumented or unmonitored 'shadow APIs'". This rapid growth renders narrow, tool-centric security approaches insufficient. The report emphasizes that successful security strategies must cover the entire API lifecycle, integrating ‘Shift Left' testing during development with 'Shift Right' runtime protection and observability.
This comprehensive approach is illustrated in the report’s diagram, "The scope of modern API security," which shows protection spanning from design to runtime analytics. A fragmented approach creates dangerous vulnerabilities. Salt Security’s platform supports this holistic vision, offering a unified view across all stages.
Beginning with Proactive Posture Governance
The lifecycle begins with proactive measures to identify and fix vulnerabilities early. This involves the "Design and Development" and "Discovery and Classification" phases to ensure full visibility and security by design. The report highlights Salt’s Posture Governance engine as a key feature, serving as a policy enforcement hub that enables security teams to address issues, such as missing authentication, data exposure, or non-compliance, before deploying APIs. Our Policy Hub provides over 70 pre-configured rules aligned with frameworks like PCI DSS, HIPAA, and NIST, enabling developers to secure APIs from the start. Additionally, our "Cloud Connect" integration for AWS, Azure, and GCP allows rapid asset discovery without deploying sensors, closing detection gaps.
Exceling in Shift Right with Robust Runtime Defense
After deployment, security must be continuous. The "shift right" phases include threat protection, analytics, automation, and access control. Salt’s runtime protection excels here, supported by a cloud data lake that facilitates analysis over large API datasets. This big data foundation creates a detailed normal behavior baseline for each API. Our AI/ML engine uses this context to identify subtle, sophisticated threats, like low-and-slow exfiltration, SSRF, and business logic abuse, recognized by KuppingerCole. When threats are detected, events are enriched with MITRE ATT&CK mappings and can be forwarded to SIEMs or enforcement tools such as WAFs and gateways for mitigation.
The report underscores that the line between security and development has blurred, making holistic API protection essential. As organizations address AI and digital transformation challenges, a comprehensive platform that provides context and security throughout the entire lifecycle is crucial for effective risk management.
The insights from the KuppingerCole report provide a clear roadmap for building a holistic security strategy. To see the full, independent analysis and understand why Salt Security was named an Overall Leader, download your complimentary copy of the report today. And when you’re ready to move from strategy to action, we invite you to take the next step with our free, personalized API Attack Surface Assessment to discover and prioritize the specific risks within your own environment.
The post The Full Lifecycle Imperative: Why “Shift Left” Must Meet “Shift Right” appeared first on Security Boulevard.
Eric Schwake
Source: Security Boulevard
Source Link: https://securityboulevard.com/2025/09/the-full-lifecycle-imperative-why-shift-left-must-meet-shift-right/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-full-lifecycle-imperative-why-shift-left-must-meet-shift-right