APIs in internet of things communications security threats and solutions

Abstract

As technology evolves, more and more devices are linked; most of these devices are called the Internet of Things (IoT). IoT extends in different domains, from public health care and massive industrial functioning devices such as cars to intelligent devices and mobility for environment monitoring and house automation such as intelligent cameras, smart doorbells, and vacuums. Similarly, in public and private sectors, to become a wellknown entity of everyday living. Nowadays, there are 6 billion gadgets on the Internet. With this spreading, IoT's cybersecurity becomes a critical factor protecting it and its sensitive data from different attacks. This paper will deliver a comprehensive view of the IoT application layer, the security concerns, and attacks, concentrating on one of the critical attacks achieved on this layer. Moreover, it will focus from this layer on the vulnerabilities in the Application programming interfaces (APIs) in IoT devices; APIs in IoT are the communication points between IoT devices and the Internet. Furthermore, this paper will cover what an API is, how APIs communicate through IoT devices. Also, this paper will focus on the attacks and threats targeting the APIs and how developers can write a secure API, as well as the countermeasures and best practices for securing the API in IoT devices.