Palo Alto Networks Cortex Cloud API Security discovers, prioritizes, and protects APIs across cloud environments. It finds APIs across gateways, workloads, and cloud environments, including shadow, zombie, and unmanaged APIs. Configuration and traffic context inform risk ranking by severity and potential business impact. Risk insights include internet exposure, sensitive data transmission, weak authentication, missing encryption, and specification drift. The product describes real-time protection against threats such as injection, authentication bypass, and data exposure, with monitor and blocking enforcement modes. Agentless gateway integrations are listed for AWS API Gateway, Azure APIM, GCP Apigee, and Kong. Protection for web applications and APIs on Linux workloads uses an agent and is marked Beta. Teams can import OpenAPI specifications to check live traffic and scan for misconfigurations or vulnerabilities. Cortex CLI scans require an OpenAPI file and Java 11 or later; Web and API Security requires the Runtime Security add-on. Azure APIM integration requires the Data Collection add-on and a running Azure APIM service. Pricing is on request, and the product page offers a demo request.
Who it is for
The product is intended for SOC analysts, security practitioners, and workload owners involved in API security. It suits teams seeking API discovery, risk prioritization, and runtime protection across cloud environments.
What is good
- Finds shadow, zombie, and unmanaged APIs.
- Ranks risks using severity and business impact.
- Offers monitor and blocking enforcement modes.
- Imports OpenAPI specifications for traffic checks.
What to know first
- Linux workload protection is marked Beta.
- Runtime Security add-on is required for Web and API Security.
- CLI scans require an OpenAPI file and Java 11 or later.
- Pricing is on request.
Verdict
Cortex Cloud API Security combines API discovery, risk assessment, and runtime protection. Check the stated add-on and scan prerequisites, and request pricing from the maker.
Compared on cloud security posture management software
- API discovery
- Yes
- Runtime protection
- Yes
- API posture management
- Yes
- Sensitive data detection
- Yes
- Specification governance
- Yes
- Deployment model
- hybrid
