API Penetration Testing
Targeted security testing of REST, GraphQL, SOAP, and gRPC APIs against the OWASP API Security Top 10, including BOLA, BFLA, mass assignment, and JWT and OAuth flaws.
Service Overview
APIs are the connective tissue of modern applications and are frequently the weakest link in an otherwise hardened stack. Our API penetration testing service provides deep, manual testing of REST, GraphQL, SOAP, and gRPC interfaces aligned with the OWASP API Security Top 10 and PTES. We focus on authorization flaws such as BOLA and BFLA, mass assignment, server-side request forgery, JWT and OAuth implementation issues, rate limiting, and schema-level abuse that automated scanners consistently miss.
$ armour --module api-pentest
[*] Loading API Penetration Testing module...
[*] 14 tools available
[!] 6-phase methodology loaded
[+] Ready for engagement
[+] Deliverables: 8 items
$ _
Our Approach
API Inventory & Discovery
Catalog documented and undocumented endpoints across REST, GraphQL, SOAP, and gRPC using specifications, traffic capture, and active discovery.
Authentication Analysis
Review login, token issuance, refresh, and revocation flows including OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect, JWT, mTLS, and API key handling.
Authorization Testing
Test object-level (BOLA) and function-level (BFLA) authorization, tenant isolation, role boundaries, and horizontal and vertical privilege escalation.
Input & Schema Abuse
Probe injection, mass assignment, GraphQL introspection abuse, query complexity, batching, and SOAP envelope manipulation.
Business Logic Testing
Identify workflow bypasses, race conditions, replay attacks, and abuse of rate limits, quotas, and pagination behavior.
Infrastructure & SSRF
Assess server-side request forgery, internal pivoting through APIs, and cloud-metadata exposure from API back-ends.
Tools & Technologies
Assessment Process
Our structured methodology ensures thorough coverage and actionable results.
Deliverables
- API endpoint inventory with risk ratings
- OWASP API Top 10 coverage matrix
- Detailed findings with PoC requests
- BOLA and BFLA exploitation evidence
- JWT and OAuth implementation review
- Schema and GraphQL-specific findings
- Remediation guidance with code examples
- Free re-test within 30 days
Industries Served
Key Benefits
OWASP API Top 10 Coverage
Structured coverage of every category including BOLA, BFLA, mass assignment, SSRF, and improper inventory management.
Beyond Scanner Output
Manual authorization and business-logic testing finds issues that DAST tools cannot identify in API traffic.
Multi-Protocol Testing
Comprehensive testing across REST, GraphQL, SOAP, and gRPC rather than REST-only assessments.
Token Security
Deep review of JWT, OAuth 2.0, and OpenID Connect implementations including signing, validation, and lifecycle.
Tenant Isolation
Explicit cross-tenant testing for multi-tenant SaaS APIs to validate data isolation guarantees.
Developer-Friendly Reporting
Findings include exact requests, responses, and remediation patterns that engineering teams can act on directly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about our services, methodology, and engagement process.
Ready to Get Started?
Contact our team to discuss your security requirements and receive a customized proposal.