Broken Object-Level Authorization (BOLA / IDOR) · CWE-639 · CVSS 9.1 - object returned for a user you are not authorized as.
What is API Pentest?
API penetration testing is a manual security assessment in which certified testers attack your REST, GraphQL, and SOAP APIs the way a real adversary would - abusing object and function-level authorization, broken authentication, excessive data exposure, and mass assignment. CyberXplore maps every endpoint, parameter, and role, then runs senior-led manual testing against the OWASP API Security Top 10 to surface authorization and business-logic flaws that scanners simply cannot reach. You receive prioritized, developer-ready remediation guidance and free retesting to confirm every fix.
OWASP API Security Top 10OWASP WSTGPTESNIST SP 800-115
Why CyberXplore
Senior-only testers (OSCP, CRTP, CREST)
ISO 27001 & ISO 9001 certified
Free retest + attestation letter
Tailored scope and quote in 24 hours
Why it matters
APIs are now the dominant attack surface - they expose data and logic directly, and authorization flaws like BOLA/IDOR let attackers read or modify other users' records with a single changed ID.
Excessive data exposure, mass assignment, and verbose responses leak sensitive fields your UI never shows, turning a routine endpoint into a full data breach.
Automated scanners cannot understand your object models, user roles, or business workflows - only manual testing reliably finds broken object- and function-level authorization.
Partners, customers, and frameworks such as SOC 2, ISO 27001, and PCI DSS increasingly demand independent API security testing evidence before integrating.
Aligned with industry standards: OWASP API Security Top 10 · OWASP WSTG · PTES · NIST SP 800-115
Our methodology
01
Scoping & API Discovery
We collect your OpenAPI/Swagger specs, GraphQL schemas, WSDLs, and Postman collections, define user roles and rules of engagement, and enumerate every endpoint, method, and parameter - including hidden, deprecated, and shadow APIs.
02
Authentication & Authorization Testing
We attack token issuance, JWT/OAuth flows, API keys, and session handling, then methodically test BOLA (object-level) and BFLA (function-level) authorization across every role to expose privilege escalation and cross-tenant access.
03
Manual Exploitation
We combine tuned tooling with deep manual testing for injection, mass assignment, excessive data exposure, SSRF, rate-limiting and resource-consumption abuse, and GraphQL-specific issues like introspection, batching, and nested-query DoS.
04
Business Logic & Chaining
We abuse multi-step workflows and chain individual findings to demonstrate real, concrete business impact - account takeover, data exfiltration, or financial manipulation - not theoretical risk.
05
Reporting
You receive a clear report with CVSS severity, affected endpoints, raw request/response evidence, reproduction steps, and developer-ready remediation guidance mapped to the OWASP API Security Top 10.
06
Remediation Support & Retest
We support your engineers through fixes and re-test every issue to confirm it is resolved - included free, with a remediation verification and attestation letter.
Detailed technical findings with CVSS severity and endpoint mapping
Raw request/response evidence and step-by-step reproduction
Findings mapped to the OWASP API Security Top 10
Prioritized, developer-ready remediation guidance
Free retest with a remediation verification letter
Attestation letter for customers, auditors, and compliance
Sample deliverable
What you'll see in your report
Every engagement ends with a clear, prioritized report: severity-rated findings with CVSS scores, affected assets, and remediation status - plus a free retest. The figures below are illustrative.
Findings by severity
24 total
Critical
1
High
6
Medium
10
Low
7
Critical · CVSS 9.1CX-204
Broken object-level authorization (BOLA / IDOR)
CWE-639api.example.comOpen
High · CVSS 8.2CX-211
Broken function-level authorization on admin route
CWE-285api.example.comRetested
Illustrative api penetration test sample - anonymized to example.com.
High · CVSS 7.6CX-217
Mass assignment allows role escalation
CWE-915api.example.comOpen
Want the full anonymized sample report? We'll include it with your quote.
Cumulative figures across our team's combined engagement history
Shared under NDA · details anonymized
“CyberXplore found critical issues three previous vendors missed. The report was the clearest we've ever received - our engineers fixed everything in a week, and the free retest confirmed every fix held.”
23 critical findings surfaced
HS
Head of Security
European SaaS platform · Series C · 450 employees
B2B SaaS
Shared under NDA · details anonymized
“Senior testers, fast turnaround, and a free retest that actually proved our fixes worked. They made our SOC 2 audit painless.”
SOC 2 passed first attempt
VE
VP of Engineering
Series B FinTech · Payments platform
FinTech
Certifications held by our testers
OSCP
CRTP
CREST
CEH
eWPTX
ISO 27001
ISO 9001
Frequently asked questions
We test REST/JSON, GraphQL, SOAP/XML, gRPC, and webhook-based APIs. We work from your OpenAPI/Swagger specs, GraphQL schema, WSDL, or Postman collection - and we also hunt for undocumented, deprecated, and shadow endpoints.
