Hacking APIs Breaking Web Application Programming Interfaces

Hacking APIs is a crash course in web API security testing that will prepare you to penetration-test APIs, reap high rewards on bug bounty programs, and make your own APIs more secure.

Hacking APIs is a crash course on web API security testing that will prepare you to penetration-test APIs, reap high rewards on bug bounty programs, and make your own APIs more secure.
 
You’ll learn how REST and GraphQL APIs work in the wild and set up a streamlined API testing lab with Burp Suite and Postman. Then you’ll master tools useful for reconnaissance, endpoint analysis, and fuzzing, such as Kiterunner and OWASP Amass. Next, you’ll learn to perform common attacks, like those targeting an API’s authentication mechanisms and the injection vulnerabilities commonly found in web applications. You’ll also learn techniques for bypassing protections against these attacks.
 
In the book’s nine guided labs, which target intentionally vulnerable APIs, you’ll practice:

Enumerating APIs users and endpoints using fuzzing techniques

Using Postman to discover an excessive data exposure vulnerability

Performing a JSON Web Token attack against an API authentication process

Combining multiple API attack techniques to perform a NoSQL injection

Attacking a GraphQL API to uncover a broken object level authorization vulnerability

 
By the end of the book, you’ll be prepared to uncover those high-payout API bugs other hackers aren’t finding and improve the security of applications on the web.

Corey Ball is a cybersecurity consulting manager at Moss Adams, where he leads its penetration testing services. He has over ten years of experience working in IT and cybersecurity across several industries, including aerospace, agribusiness, energy, financial tech, government services, and healthcare. In addition to a bachelor’s degree in English and philosophy from Sacramento State University, Corey holds the OSCP, CCISO, CEH, CISA, CISM, CRISC, and CGEIT industry certifications.