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Understanding security and network requirements is essential for successfully integrating with the Creditsafe Connect API. This page covers network access configuration and key security considerations.

Network Access & IP Whitelisting

Important: Creditsafe Connect is a cloud-based service and IP whitelisting is not supported or recommended.

Due to the distributed nature of cloud infrastructure, IP addresses can change dynamically, making IP-based whitelisting unreliable and potentially disruptive to your integration.

Required Network Configuration

If you need to restrict outbound access to Connect from your environment, use the following configuration:

ConfigurationValue
ProtocolHTTPS
Port443
DNS Addressconnect.creditsafe.com

Why DNS-Based Restrictions Are Preferred

  • Reliability: DNS remains constant even when underlying infrastructure changes
  • Flexibility: Allows Creditsafe to scale and optimize infrastructure without impacting your integration
  • Security: HTTPS (port 443) ensures encrypted communication
  • Maintainability: No need to update firewall rules when cloud infrastructure evolves

Key Security Requirements

Authentication

  • Use JWT token-based authentication
  • Tokens expire after 1 hour and must be refreshed
  • Store credentials securely using environment variables or secret managers
  • Never hardcode credentials in your application

For detailed authentication implementation, see the Authentication documentation.

Communication Security

  • Always use HTTPS - Never make API calls over unencrypted HTTP
  • TLS 1.2 or higher - Ensure your client supports modern TLS versions
  • Validate SSL certificates - Do not disable certificate validation
  • No certificate pinning - Due to cloud infrastructure, certificate pinning is not recommended

Data Handling

  • Only request and store the data you need (data minimization principle)
  • Encrypt any cached API responses
  • Comply with GDPR, CCPA, and other applicable data protection regulations
  • Never log credentials, tokens, or sensitive personal data

Rate Limiting

  • Respect API rate limits and implement proper retry logic
  • Use exponential backoff when encountering rate limit errors
  • Cache responses appropriately to reduce unnecessary API calls

For detailed rate limiting information, see the Rate Limiting documentation.

Production Deployment Checklist

Before deploying to production, ensure you have:

  • ✅ Configured firewall to allow HTTPS traffic to connect.creditsafe.com on port 443
  • ✅ Implemented secure credential storage (no hardcoded credentials)
  • ✅ Set up automatic token refresh before 1-hour expiry
  • ✅ Enabled HTTPS certificate validation
  • ✅ Implemented proper error handling and retry logic
  • ✅ Configured monitoring for authentication failures and unusual activity
  • ✅ Verified compliance with data protection regulations

Security Monitoring

Monitor your integration for:

  • Authentication failures and unusual patterns
  • Rate limit violations
  • API errors and exceptions
  • Token refresh failures

Reporting Security Concerns

If you suspect a security incident or have security-related questions:

  1. Immediately rotate your API credentials
  2. Contact your Creditsafe account manager
  3. Review access logs for potential unauthorized activity

For general feedback and support, see Providing Feedback.

Additional Resources