CISSP Study Plan – Day 7 of 55 | Security of APIs Explained
- Luke Ahmed
- 3 hours ago
- 2 min read
"Check out the time on his clock! 5am for days and days! STRONG POST!"
– Luke Ahmed
Today is Day 7 of Yihenew’s CISSP study plan, continuing with Software Development Security, now shifting the focus to security of APIs and why they matter for both modern applications and CISSP exam prep.
Key Areas Covered:
What APIs Are — application programming interfaces let different systems talk to each other, but that communication can become a target
Common API Risks — poor authentication, excessive data exposure, broken object-level authorization, and weak input validation
OWASP API Security Top 10 — the critical list every security professional should know when defending API endpoints
Security Controls — strong authentication, rate limiting, schema validation, encryption in transit, and logging/monitoring
CISSP Tie-In — APIs live at the intersection of secure coding, identity and access management, and risk management
In this CISSP study plan session, Yihenew emphasized that APIs are no longer a side topic—they’re a primary attack surface. Security professionals need to understand API weaknesses, protective controls, and how they tie into secure software development practices.
Quick CISSP Practice Question
Which of the following best reduces the risk of API abuse through excessive calls?
A. Data encryption
B. Rate limiting
C. Input validation
D. Schema enforcement
✅ Correct Answer: B. Rate limiting
Explanation:Â Rate limiting helps prevent abuse by restricting the number of calls an API can receive in a given time frame. Data encryption and schema enforcement add security, and input validation protects against injection attacks, but rate limiting directly addresses excessive use.
Follow his full journey on TikTok or check out Day 8.
👉 Can you take the Yani Challenge?
55 days of consistent CISSP prep, tackling one domain at a time, using only the resources below:
Course
Luke's CISSP Course (2 months access, $89.98)
One-to-one Zoom sessions with Luke Ahmed (2 weeks before exam)
Books, Notes, and Practice Questions
All-In-One Study Guide by Shon Harris (Around $45)
Sybex 10th Edition (Around $52.55)
Total Cost: approxiamately $250 depending on your geographic location. Yani is located in East Africa.
📚 Study Plan (55 Days of Dedication):
- Weekdays: 2–3 hours of focused study—late nights and early mornings (5 AM).
- Weekends: 5–6 hours of deep study sessions.
Pass CISSP in first attempt within 100 questions.
Yani's biggest expense was his time, committment, consistency, and dedication! It was worth it because he passed first attempt in 100 questions using the above resources only.
If Yihenew could do it, so can you.
All the best Future CISSP. You can feel free to contact me anytime as well.
Thank you. Luke Ahmed
