ServiceNow disclosed a security incident in which attackers exploited an unauthenticated flaw in one of its software interfaces, an API endpoint that could be reached without logging in. An API is a doorway that lets programs talk to each other; when one is left open without a check, it can expose the data behind it.
Unprotected interfaces are a recurring cause of breaches because they are easy to overlook, sitting behind the scenes rather than on a visible login page.
What it means: every business that connects apps together, a shop linking its store to its accounting, say, relies on these interfaces. The practical safeguard is to ask any software vendor or developer to confirm that each connection requires authentication and is logged, because an open doorway is invisible until someone walks through it.