APIs are vulnerable to various attacks, including server-side request forgery (SSRF) that exploits Instance Metadata Services (IMDS) and other cloud technologies. SSRF attacks can occur due to misconfigurations in code or lack of validation for user-provided data. Detecting these attacks requires monitoring API calls' responses for unusual timing, nature, or response times, as well as looking out for suspicious usage patterns such as requests to sensitive domains or IPs, malformed URLs, and network requests to unusual hosts. To mitigate SSRF attacks, it's recommended to upgrade to IMDSv2, sanitize user input, and use security tools like Datadog Application Security Management (ASM) that can detect and block malicious activity.