API Security Testing Tools: Key Features & 8 Tools to Know

Key Features of API Security Testing Tools

API security testing solutions typically offers the following features:

• Automated vulnerability scanning: Enables continuous monitoring and assessment of APIs for known vulnerabilities. The tool uses automated scripts to scan APIs against a database of known security threats, identifying potential weaknesses without manual intervention.
• Authentication and authorization testing: Ensures that only authorized users can access specific functionalities. This process involves verifying that the API implements proper authentication mechanisms and enforces appropriate authorization checks for different users and roles. It tests for vulnerabilities that could allow unauthorized access, such as weak passwords, token leakage, or improper session management.
• Rate limiting and throttling tests: Ensure that APIs can handle excessive requests without compromising performance or security. These tests simulate scenarios where the API receives a high volume of requests within a short period, verifying that rate limiting and throttling mechanisms are in place to prevent denial-of-service attacks.
• Input validation: Ensures that only properly formatted data is processed by the API. This involves checking every input received from users or other systems against a set of predefined criteria before it is allowed to interact with the application. Effective input validation can prevent various types of attacks, including SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and command injection, which exploit vulnerabilities in improperly validated inputs.
• Security misconfiguration checks: Identify improperly configured APIs that might be vulnerable to attacks. This involves reviewing the API and its environment to ensure that all security settings are correctly applied and no default configurations, which are often insecure, are left unchanged. API configuration issues may include authentication mechanisms, headers, error messages, and unnecessary services or features that should be disabled. Misconfigurations can lead to unauthorized access, data leakage, or system compromise.

Related content: Read our guide to API security scanning

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1. Pynt

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Pynt is an innovative API Security Testing platform exposing verified API threats through simulated attacks. We help hundreds of companies such as Telefonica, Sage, Halodoc, and more, to continuously monitor, classify and attack poorly secured APIs, before hackers do. 

Pynt's leverages an integrated shift-left approach, and unique hack technology using home-grown attack scenarios, to detect real threats, discover APIs, suggest fixes to verified vulnerabilities, thereby eliminating the API attack surface risk.

• Shift left, continuous approach for AppSec - full visibility on all APIs, and real proven threats to easily plug into the API security strategy
• Shift left, continuous approach for developers - sync to the CI/CD and get suggested fixes on verified API vulnerabilities
• Full API inventory visibility
• Integration with task management tools for easy fix automation to vulnerable APIs
• Automated API pentest reports in a click
• Lightweight and easy to run, generates results in minutes

Learn more about Pynt for API security testing

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2. ZAP 

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ZAP (Zed Attack Proxy), formerly OWASP ZAP, is a free, open-source security tool designed to help find vulnerabilities in web applications and APIs. It is useful for developers and testers as part of the software development lifecycle, automating the process of identifying security weaknesses before they can be exploited. By simulating attacks on APIs, ZAP provides insights into potential security flaws, allowing for preemptive remediation.

Key features:

• Scans APIs for common vulnerabilities such as SQL Injection, Cross-Site Scripting (XSS), and Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF).
• Offers automated scanning and manual attack modes to suit different testing requirements.
• Integrates with existing development environments, enabling continuous security testing.
• Extensible through add-ons, allowing users to enhance its functionality according to their needs.
• Supports automated authentication handling to test protected areas of applications.
• Provides reports on identified vulnerabilities, facilitating targeted improvements.

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3. Noname Security 

Noname Security offers a specialized solution for API security testing, designed to integrate into the development lifecycle. Its Active Testing platform is engineered to understand business logic, providing broad coverage for API-specific vulnerabilities.

Key features:

• Provides developers with simple setup, automation, and in-line test results for efficient issue resolution.
• Enables complete API testing by analyzing application business logic to uncover hidden vulnerabilities.
• Automates over 150 dynamic tests simulating malicious traffic, including tests against the OWASP API Top Ten.
• Supports integration with CI/CD tools like Jenkins and Postman, along with workflow tools such as ServiceNow, Slack, and Jira.
• Provides dynamic visibility of APIs across different states and environments within the CI/CD pipeline.
• Incorporates role-based access controls to streamline testing processes by ensuring only authorized personnel can perform tests.

4. Burp Suite

Burp Suite is a web vulnerability scanner designed for security testing of web applications, including APIs. It offers a range of tools to improve the process of identifying vulnerabilities, simulating attacks, and testing defenses. It supports both automated and manual testing.

Key features:

• Extensive manual testing capabilities, supporting API penetration tests.
• Features such as the Repeater and Intruder tools enable in-depth testing of specific issues, allowing for manual exploitation and verification.
• Automated scanning capabilities allow for efficient identification of common vulnerabilities across web applications and APIs.
• Supports integration with CI/CD pipelines, enabling continuous security assessments as part of the development process.
• Offers reporting functionalities that provide actionable insights into detected vulnerabilities, helping teams prioritize remediation efforts.

5. Traceable

Traceable provides an API security platform offering visibility, protection, and testing for API ecosystems. By capturing and analyzing API activity over time, it helps organizations discover, monitor, and secure their APIs in complex environments.

Key features:

• API discovery: Automatically detects and catalogs the entire API landscape, ensuring organizations can manage and secure APIs regardless of their location.
• Threat detection: Employs contextual analysis to uncover attackers, spot behavioral anomalies, and reduce security risks.
• Attack protection: Protects against sensitive data exposure, API misuse, and fraudulent activities through proactive defense mechanisms.
• API security testing: Provides context-aware API testing to discover vulnerabilities specific to the business logic of APIs.
• Fraud and bot security: Monitors for real-time fraud, detecting and preventing fraudulent attempts before they can cause harm.

6. Synopsys

Synopsys provides API security testing aimed at managing the growing risks associated with APIs. By combining automated tools and expert services, it helps organizations establish an API security program that integrates into the development lifecycle.

Key features:

• API discovery: Automatically identifies API endpoints across applications and creates an inventory to track known and shadow APIs. 
• Continuous API testing: Performs ongoing testing of API endpoints using Seeker’s Active Inspection, which automatically generates attack surface requests. It also supports session reuse for authenticated testing and flags vulnerabilities such as exposed sensitive data.
• Vulnerability remediation guidance: Offers visibility into the code and dataflow, enabling developers to pinpoint flaws with the help of real-time data flow maps. 
• Integrated API security testing: Embeds security testing within the CI/CD pipeline, providing developers with actionable results in a format that facilitates rapid issue resolution.
• API program strategy: Provides advisory services to help organizations design and implement API security policies, conduct risk assessments, and perform API penetration testing.

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7. Checkmarx

Checkmarx provides an API security solution as part of its Checkmarx One platform. It enables organizations to integrate API security testing into the SDLC, helping teams discover, monitor, and remediate API vulnerabilities early. 

Key features:

• Global API inventory: Automatically maintains a full inventory of APIs, helping organizations track and manage APIs across their entire environment. It identifies vulnerabilities, enabling teams to prioritize fixes based on business risk.
• API discovery: Continuously scans source code, documentation, and dynamic testing environments to discover both known and hidden APIs, ensuring no API is left unmonitored.‍
• API documentation scanning: Ensures that API documentation is accurate and up-to-date, helping developers understand the scope and potential risks of each API.‍
• Change log monitoring: Tracks changes to APIs over time, making it easier to detect new vulnerabilities or risks introduced by modifications.‍
• DAST integration: Integrates with Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) tools to ensure APIs are tested in real-world conditions, providing dynamic assessments alongside static analysis.

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8. Postman

Postman’s API platform helps simplify the API lifecycle, from development to security. It provides tools to enhance collaboration, enforce security rules, and monitor API performance, making it easier for teams to create secure, high-performing APIs.Key features:‍

• Security rule enforcement: Comes with built-in security rules based on the OWASP Top 10 for APIs. These rules automatically detect common vulnerabilities in API definitions and requests, helping teams catch issues early in development.
• Custom security rules: Teams can define and import their own security rules using Spectral guidelines, tailoring API security policies to their needs.
• CI/CD integration: Integrates with CI/CD pipelines, allowing teams to run API security checks during the build process. If any violations are detected, the build can be halted to prevent insecure deployments.
• API monitoring: Continuously track API performance and response times, providing real-time insights into any potential security issues that could affect performance.‍
• Automated security testing: Allows developers to automate security tests using scripts. Tests like authorization checks can be automated, and monitors can be set up to prevent regressions by continuously running tests.

Conclusion

API security testing tools play a crucial role in safeguarding the integrity and confidentiality of APIs, which are essential components of modern applications. These tools help organizations proactively identify and mitigate vulnerabilities, ensuring robust protection against various attack vectors. By integrating these security measures into the development lifecycle, developers can enhance the resilience of their APIs, maintain compliance with security standards, and protect sensitive data.

‍Learn about Pynt for API security testing and get started free

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