In today’s interconnected IT environments, APIs are at the core of service communication. While ServiceNow provides powerful capabilities through its REST and GraphQL APIs, it is critical to ensure these interfaces are securely configured. This article explores how Reco’s security posture checks can help prevent unauthorized API integrations in ServiceNow instances, focusing on two key risks: improper authentication and unsecured GraphQL endpoints.
ServiceNow APIs enable a wide range of automation, integration, and user-facing functionalities. However, improperly configured APIs can inadvertently expose sensitive data or allow attackers to exploit system capabilities. Unauthorized access could compromise the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of critical business information. Therefore, maintaining a secure API posture isn't just a best practice – it's a necessity.
To address these concerns, two Reco posture checks were implemented within the ServiceNow instance:
1. ServiceNow - Require Authorization for API Requests
2. ServiceNow - GraphQL API Authorization Enabled
Each posture check helps proactively identify and remediate misconfigurations before they can be exploited.
Reco offers native ServiceNow posture checks, real-time drift detection, and seamless integration into existing security operations workflows. These posture checks are part of Reco’s broader identity risk management strategy, which includes continuous monitoring for shadow access, misconfigured entitlements, and SaaS-wide exposure.
It provides quick visibility into security misconfigurations that would have been difficult to uncover manually. What made Reco particularly effective for this use case was its combination of:
Enforcing basic authentication helps ensure that only authorized users can interact with your ServiceNow APIs. This section outlines how Reco helps identify weak authentication settings and how to strengthen them.
The first posture check by Reco monitors the system property glide.basicauth.required.api. When this property is set to false, it disables the requirement for Basic Authentication on API requests. This potentially allows unauthenticated users to send HTTP requests to ServiceNow APIs, exposing data and services.
Reco Posture Check Summary:
Step-by-Step Remediation:
This ensures that all REST and SOAP API requests require valid Basic Authentication credentials, unless OAuth or other methods are explicitly configured.
GraphQL endpoints can expose sensitive data if not properly secured. Here’s how Reco helps you detect and fix misconfigurations that allow unauthenticated or unauthorized access.
GraphQL, though powerful and flexible, can become a significant attack vector if not correctly configured. By default, schemas in ServiceNow can be exposed without enforcing authentication or ACLs. This means any user (or script) could potentially perform queries and introspection on your data model.
Reco Posture Check Summary:
Step-by-Step Remediation:
This prevents introspection or data retrieval from unauthenticated or unauthorized users.
Reco provides continuous monitoring and alerting capabilities. Once these posture checks are configured:
Strengthening API security means going beyond quick fixes for isolated issues. These best practices help integrate security into your ServiceNow workflows and support long-term stability and visibility.
Maintain an up-to-date inventory of all REST and GraphQL APIs in your instance. Use ServiceNow’s API Explorer and GraphQL Schema Viewer for discovery.
Encapsulate APIs within scoped applications to restrict access via application-level permissions.
OAuth provides more robust security and token-based access compared to Basic Authentication. For integrations requiring long-term credentials, OAuth flows like client credentials are ideal.
Use scripts or reporting tools to identify overly permissive or missing ACLs, especially on tables exposed via APIs.
Ensure that any team building or publishing APIs in ServiceNow understand the required security configurations. Include Reco posture check outcomes in your CI/CD pipeline or code review process.
Preventing unauthorized API access in ServiceNow is a shared responsibility across development, security, and platform teams. With the help of tools like Reco and proper configuration of ServiceNow properties and access controls, organizations can significantly reduce the risk of data exposure.
Enforcing basic authentication through system properties and securing GraphQL APIs with mandatory authentication and ACLs can significantly reduce the risk of unauthorized integrations. Organizations that haven't reviewed their API security posture recently should consider doing so now.
Reco’s capabilities go well beyond ServiceNow. It offers unified visibility across your entire SaaS environment, monitoring API security, access control, and misconfigurations across cloud platforms. If securing your SaaS stack is a priority, Reco delivers the continuous posture management and identity risk protection you need.
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