Rate limiting is one of my favorite sections. I have implemented rate limiting as part of API Gateway and had multiple versions of it tailored to the needs of the downstream applications that were leveraging them in various ways. It's also another use case that is specific to microservices that can be implemented in Kubernetes. It can also be an add-on to existing rate limit implementations that can be based on customer or subscription.
First, let's talk about the security measure, and how its absence or improper implementation can lead to several security problems:
Vulnerability to Attacks
Denial of Service (DoS) and Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) Attacks
Attackers can overwhelm an API with a flood of requests, exhausting server resources and making the API unresponsive or unavailable to legitimate users. It causes Resource Exhaustion, depleting server resources like CPU, memory, and network bandwidth, potentially causing system crashes or slowdowns.
Brute Force Attacks
Lack of rate limiting makes it easier for attackers to conduct brute force attacks on authentication endpoints, attempting numerous login attempts in rapid succession. Back in 2014, this was one of the reasons that Apple's authentication was compromised as hackers were able to hack into celebrity accounts. Apple has hardened the authentication service since then, and it's not a concern anymore with 2-factor authentication being the standard.
Credential Stuffing
This almost always happens by bots scanning most known URLs for easy access with common and stolen credentials. Without rate limits in place, this only exacerbates the problem.
Increased Attack Surface
Unlimited API access provides more opportunities for attackers to discover and exploit other vulnerabilities in the system.
Business Impact
This has a direct business impact with services having poor response because of resource exhaustion. It may also lead to excessive financial costs and service disruptions.
Implementing proper rate limiting policies is crucial for maintaining API security, ensuring fair resource allocation, and protecting against various forms of attacks and abuse. It's an essential component of a comprehensive API security strategy.
So how can you implement it , If you are already using Kubernetes and service mesh Its just a matter of adding it as part of your configuration . I have provided an example here -> Github
Istio
Istio, a popular service mesh for Kubernetes, provides built-in support for both rate limiting and circuit breaking. It can address almost all the security concerns described above . It may be possible by other service mesh as well , but I am going to use Istio for demonstration .
Protection Against Brute Force
Rate limit with Circuit Breaker help protect your services from being overwhelmed.
Fine-grained Control
You can set different limits and thresholds for different services or endpoints.
Improved Resilience
Circuit breakers prevent cascading failures, while rate limiting controls the flow of requests.
You can also do Rate limit , Load Balancing and routing on your Ingress and will not require a Service Mesh . But this will be limited to the services accessed through ingress
Containerization Github List -> Github Containers
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