Aviz Networks outlines packet-level network visibility for financial API security

Aviz Networks’ guide for financial services CISOs describes how packet-level network visibility can provide evidence about every API call, including internal traffic, legacy versions, and shadow APIs, to strengthen existing controls. The guidance targets teams that lack accurate API inventory and real-time understanding of API behavior.

Research Overview

The guide positions API traffic as a core part of financial systems that connects multiple parties, platforms, partners, and cloud services. It frames the visibility gap as uncertainty about the number of APIs in use, which ones handle sensitive data, and what occurs on those APIs in real time.

It describes packet-level network visibility as a method to see API calls across internal service-to-service flows and outbound interactions, including calls to third-party services and AI services. The guide emphasizes using network-level evidence to support and validate existing API security controls rather than replace them.

Key Findings

The guide highlights automated discovery of APIs, including shadow APIs and outdated API versions. It also outlines monitoring of real-time API behavior beyond what gateway-level views or application logs provide.

It further states that network visibility can support verification of TLS and certificates across every API endpoint. The guide also references detection of credential abuse, scraping, and abnormal API traffic, along with tracking outbound APIs and AI service usage at the network level.

Technical Breakdown

According to the guide, packet-level network visibility enables security teams to observe every API call, including internal traffic between services. It includes visibility into older API versions and shadow APIs that may not be covered by existing inventories.

The guide also describes using the same network-level approach to examine encryption-related elements such as TLS and certificates for API endpoints. It includes monitoring to identify abnormal activity patterns tied to credential abuse and scraping and to record outbound API interactions, including AI service calls.

Operational Impact

The guide is directed at CISOs in financial services that already apply tools such as WAFs and gateways alongside API security efforts. It positions network visibility as the missing layer for confirming what APIs exist and what traffic occurs on them in real time.

It presents the output of network observation as independent evidence that can be used to strengthen API controls already in place. It also emphasizes coverage that includes internal traffic, legacy endpoints, and outbound calls to third parties and AI services.

Aviz Networks’ guide describes packet-level network visibility as a way to discover APIs, observe real-time behavior, verify TLS and certificate use, and detect abnormal activity including credential abuse and scraping, while tracking outbound calls and AI service usage; this “Blog Signals brief” is a fact-based summary of the vendor blog.