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+----- Thread: [The Academy] API Security Testing Checklist (Legal Lab Walkthrough) (/showthread.php?tid=6310217)
API Security Testing Checklist (Legal Lab Walkthrough) - Vectura - Oct 5, 2025
API Security Testing Checklist (Legal Lab Walkthrough)
Intro: A practical checklist to test REST/GraphQL APIs for common security issues and to harden them: auth, rate limiting, input validation, and object-level access control — all in a local dev/staging lab.
Prerequisites:
- A local API server (sample app) or staging with test data
- Tools: curl, Postman, Burp Suite (for authorized testing)
Steps (lab):
- Map endpoints & auth flow — list all endpoints, methods, headers, and required scopes.
- Test authentication enforcement — verify endpoints reject missing/invalid tokens.
Code# example: request without token
curl -i -X GET http://localhost:4000/api/users
- Check object-level authorization — attempt to access another user’s resource with a valid token in lab to verify proper checks.
- Test rate limiting & throttling — generate controlled bursts and observe API responses and rate headers.
- Input validation & JSON schema enforcement — send malformed JSON and verify server returns 4xx with sanitized messages.
- Inspect CORS & security headers — ensure strict CORS policy and security headers (CSP, HSTS).
Hardening checklist for devs:
- Strict token validation and short TTLs
- Object-level ACLs enforced server-side
- Rate limiting & IP reputation checks
- Input schema validation and output encoding
- Audit logs with request IDs for tracing
Exercises:
- Use Postman to create automated tests that assert auth and ACL behavior for each endpoint.
- Implement and test a per-IP rate limiter in your local API and measure throughput.
Note: Only test APIs in your dev/staging environment or with explicit permission.