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Last updated: April 29, 2026
Why this module. API pentesting is different from web app pentesting. Less UI, more state, more business logic. The OWASP API Top 10 maps the bug classes; this module is the methodology to find them.
Why this module. API pentesting is different from web app pentesting. Less UI, more state, more business logic. The OWASP API Top 10 maps the bug classes; this module is the methodology to find them.
The phases
- Enumeration — find every endpoint. OpenAPI specs, browser inspection, app traffic captures, mobile app reverse engineering.
- Auth model mapping — what auth does each endpoint require? Anonymous, API key, OAuth, mTLS?
- BOLA testing — can user A access user B’s objects? Sequential ID enumeration; UUID guessing.
- Mass assignment — can client set fields they shouldn’t? Try sending
"is_admin": true. - Excessive data exposure — does response include fields not needed? Sometimes /users/me returns the password hash.
- Rate limiting — test bypass via headers, distributed sources.
- Business logic — race conditions (Module 23, Web track), state machine bypass.
- Versioning — does v1 still work? Same security as v2?
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