Tips for API Security Testing

Mayhem Team

February 4, 2022

API security testing is a process that should be done regularly in order to ensure the safety of your application's data and users. In this post, we'll cover some tips to remember when testing your APIs as well as some free tools you can use to get started. First, let's start with a few key things to keep in mind when performing API security testing:

Know what you're looking for

Make sure you understand the vulnerabilities that can occur with APIs and which areas of your API you need to test. You don't want to miss a vulnerability that can result in a potential data breach.

Use the right tools

There are a variety of tools available for API security testing, so make sure you use the right ones for your needs. We'll discuss a few options further down in the article.

Test everything

Don't just test the surface level; go deep and probe your API for any potential vulnerabilities.

Keep Testing

API security testing should be done regularly to check for vulnerabilities, and it is vital to keep in mind that there will always be vulnerabilities present during development.

API Security Testing Tools

Just like there will always be APIs, there will always be tools available to help testers locate vulnerabilities. The challenge however is APIs might change frequently which requires that you understand what each tool can offer. Testing every single component of an API is vital to ensure that your data and users are safe, so using the right tools at the right time is vital.

Testing APIs for security vulnerabilities can be done with both open source and commercial products. However, depending on the public exposure level of your API, you might want to look into using an enterprise-level solution.

Free API Security Testing Tools

What's the first thing you would do if you wanted to secure an API? Would you start by looking for a free API security testing tool, or would you immediately go into developer mode to create your own solution? To save you the time of developing or searching for a free tool to get started with API testing, we listed a few options for enterprise-level testing and open source testing solutions.

Enterprise Level API Testing

Mayhem for API is a comprehensive API testing tool that allows you to test and secure your APIs. It includes all of the features you need to thoroughly test your APIs, and it's easy to use. Better yet, Mayhem for API has native integrations with both Github and Postman.

Mayhem for API is offered by ForAllSecure and is available for free with up to 50 monthly scans, CI/CD integration, and 3 months of data retention available to everyone. If your testing requirements grow beyond 50 monthly scans, Mayhem for API is also available through a paid plan which includes unlimited scans as well as an enterprise-level support team.

Open Source API Testing

There are many open-source API testing frameworks you can use to test your APIs. There are a lot of different factors that come into play when it comes to choosing which framework is the best for your testing needs. Here are our two top choices for API testing frameworks:

Postman: If you're looking for a simple way to test your APIs, then look no further than Postman. It's lightweight and easy to use, but there's also the option of using JavaScript.
SoapUI: SoapUI or Soap API is another good API testing framework that provides a graphical interface for creating and executing functional tests. It's very similar to Postman in the sense that both provide simple interfaces for complex tasks.

Conclusion

As you can see by this blog post, API security testing is important for any company's IT and development departments. If your app needs to connect with an outside service or if it stores data online, then there are vulnerabilities that need to be tested in order to protect both users and the integrity of your business.

Fortunately, there are a variety of different tools available for API security testing which means no matter what level of expertise you have when it comes to securing APIs, you should find something that fits your needs well. This brief explored two open-source options as well as Mayhem for API, an enterprise-level solution, so make sure you go through all three before making a decision on which tool will work best for you!

Another great resource for information on API security is the OWASP API security project which publishes the OWASP API security top 10 list.