API Penetration Testing

Flow chart of the API engagement, 6 phases in order, each one selectable. Phase 1, Scoping and Rules of Engagement. We collect the API definition, roles and test accounts, agree rate limits and windows, and confirm which environments are in scope. Activities: Collect the API definition and docs; Provision accounts across roles and tenants; Agree rate limits and testing windows; Confirm in-scope environments. Hands over Signed Rules of Engagement. Phase 2, Reconnaissance and Mapping. We enumerate endpoints, methods and parameters from documentation and traffic, and map the roles and objects each one touches. Activities: Enumerate endpoints, methods and parameters; Capture traffic from real client flows; Map roles and objects per endpoint; Note authentication schemes in use. Hands over Endpoint and Object Map. Phase 3, Authentication and Authorization Testing. We test token handling and attack object- and function-level access, chasing BOLA, BFLA and privilege escalation across tenants. Activities: Test token issuance and validation; Attack object-level access for BOLA; Attack function-level access for BFLA; Attempt cross-tenant privilege escalation. Hands over Authorization Findings. Phase 4, Business Logic and Injection. We abuse workflows, mass assignment and input handling, checking whether sequences of valid requests produce invalid outcomes. Activities: Abuse multi-step workflows out of order; Test mass assignment on writable objects; Probe input handling for injection; Chain valid requests into invalid outcomes. Hands over Business-Logic and Injection Findings. Phase 5, Manual Exploitation and Impact. We prove each finding and show what it exposes, especially where one account can reach another tenant's data. Activities: Reproduce each finding with clean requests; Demonstrate cross-tenant data access; Map the data each flaw exposes; Rank findings by real impact. Hands over Impact and Risk Assessment. Phase 6, Reporting and Verified Retest. You get a report with reproducible requests and clear fixes, and we retest once remediation lands to confirm closure. Activities: Document findings with reproducible requests; Produce an executive summary; Walk your team through the results; Retest fixes and confirm closure. Hands over Final Report and Verified Retest. Each phase begins from the artefact the phase before it produced.