Authentication vs Authorization: The API Injection Mistake You Might Be Making
When building secure APIs, developers often put a lot of effort into authentication—verifying the identity of a user. But what about authorization—deciding what that user is allowed to do? Ignoring or misconfiguring authorization is one of the most common security oversights in backend development. Even with a strong authentication system (like JWTs), attackers can inject API calls and access data or perform actions they shouldn't. Let’s break down the difference, then look at a real example of what can go wrong—and how to fix it. ✅ Authentication vs
When building secure APIs, developers often put a lot of effort into authentication—verifying the identity of a user. But what about authorization—deciding what that user is allowed to do?
Ignoring or misconfiguring authorization is one of the most common security oversights in backend development. Even with a strong authentication system (like JWTs), attackers can inject API calls and access data or perform actions they shouldn't.
Let’s break down the difference, then look at a real example of what can go wrong—and how to fix it.
