Highlights:

  • The latest enhancements incorporate advanced defenses to counter sophisticated application layer distributed denial-of-service attacks.
  • App and API Protector now includes Browser Impersonation Detection, a new feature utilizing machine learning to delve deeper into browser behaviors.

Akamai Technologies Inc., a leading content delivery network and cloud services provider, has unveiled enhancements to its flagship product, App and API Protector. These enhancements encompass sophisticated defenses against distributed denial-of-service attacks at the application layer.

Akamai has bolstered its Layer 7 DDoS protections to accurately identify and mitigate short bursts of DDoS attacks, incorporating client reputation scores for more effective rate limiting. The protection is elevated through a feature named URL Protection, which guarantees the accessibility of crucial URLs, application programming interfaces, and microservices by giving priority to legitimate traffic during widespread attacks.

App and API Protector unveils an innovative feature named Browser Impersonation Detection, employing machine learning to explore browser behaviors in depth. Simultaneously, it reduces false positives, ensuring more accurate detection of malicious bots.

App and API Protector users can now benefit from added features, such as Simple Start Onboard, streamlining and expediting self-service onboarding, and new application setup with just a few clicks. The CVE Protection Catalog offers insights for prioritizing security efforts, aligning with Akamai’s protections. It enables customers to search the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures database, providing information on Akamai’s active protective measures against a vulnerability, assessing threat levels, and accessing detailed CVE information.

The newly introduced Client-Side Protection and Compliance feature is crafted to aid customers in maintaining compliance and ensuring adherence to regulations such as Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard v4, as well as other industry and global compliance standards.

As a component of the latest release, Advanced SOCC Services provides customers with tailored support and prioritized escalation routes via Akamai’s Security Operations Command Center. Additionally, updates to Akamai’s Web Security Analytics streamline operations and enhance analytics capabilities. These updates include customizable dashboards, configuration change indicators, webhook alerts, and shortened deep links, facilitating easier sharing.

Senior Vice President and General Manager of Application Security at Akamai, Rupesh Chokshi, stated in advance of the announcement, “The evolution of Akamai App and API Protector highlights our focus on innovation and a customer-centric approach. These machine learning enhancements and shared telemetry across Akamai are designed to strengthen and simplify web application and API defense.”

The announcement follows Akamai’s plans, revealed on February 13, to integrate various cloud computing services into its edge content delivery network. Termed the Generalized Edge Compute Initiative or Gecko Initiative, this strategy aims to assist companies in enhancing user experiences by relocating their workloads nearer to end users.