API penetration testing
REST, GraphQL and SOAP APIs tested for the authorisation flaws that expose data at scale.
- Broken object level authorisation
- Broken function level authorisation
- Authentication and token handling
- Mass assignment and excessive data exposure
- Rate limiting and resource consumption
- Injection and server side request forgery
The business problem
APIs expose objects and functions directly. One missing ownership check on one endpoint can hand over every record you hold.
Scope of assessment
Scope is agreed with you before any work starts. A typical engagement covers the areas below, adjusted to your environment, your priorities and any testing windows you need.
- Broken object level authorisation
- Broken function level authorisation
- Authentication and token handling
- Mass assignment and excessive data exposure
- Rate limiting and resource consumption
- Injection and server side request forgery
Methodology
Automated coverage first, then manual work where it counts. Every finding is validated before it reaches you.
- Discovery
- Reconnaissance
- Threat modeling
- Scanning
- Manual testing
- Exploitation
- Validation
- Risk analysis
- Reporting
- Remediation support
- Retesting
Typical engagement timeline
Often one to two weeks. Depends on endpoint count and roles.
Standards and references
- OWASP API Security Top 10
- OWASP ASVS
- CWE Top 25
Tools and techniques
- API clients and intercepting proxies
- Schema and collection analysis
- Custom fuzzing
- Manual authorisation matrices
Industries
- Banking
- Financial Services
- Fintech
- E-commerce
- Cloud Services
- Stock Market Platforms
What you receive.
- Executive summary for leadership
- Technical findings with evidence
- Severity and business risk rating
- Step by step remediation guidance
- Retest results
Benefits
- Know which weaknesses are real and exploitable
- Fix in the order that reduces the most risk
- Give leadership and auditors clear evidence
- Confirm fixes work through retesting
API penetration testing report
Executive summary
Each finding: evidence, impact, steps to reproduce, fix.
Why us.
- Experienced security professionalsAssessments are led by practitioners who do this work every day.
- Offensive security expertiseWe think like attackers because that is our core discipline.
- Manual validationEvery finding is confirmed by a person before it reaches your report.
- Enterprise focused assessmentsScoping, communication and reporting that fit large organisations.
- Transparent reportingEvidence, reproduction steps and plain language. No padding.
- Actionable remediationSpecific fixes your developers and administrators can apply.
Questions.
How long does a penetration test take?
It depends on scope. A single application often takes one to three weeks, and larger estates take longer. We confirm the timeline during scoping, before work begins.
What does a security assessment report contain?
An executive summary, scope and methodology, each finding with severity, evidence and reproduction steps, the business risk, and specific remediation guidance.
Do you provide remediation support?
Yes. We walk your developers and administrators through each finding and stay available for questions while they fix it.
Do you provide retesting?
Yes. Once fixes are in place we retest the affected items and update the report with the verified status.
What security standards do you follow?
Our work references the OWASP Top 10, OWASP API Security Top 10, OWASP ASVS, OWASP MASVS, CWE Top 25, PTES, NIST guidance and MITRE ATT&CK, as applicable to the engagement.