Client Challenges - Potential exposure of sensitive user and AI-generated data through APIs
- Weak authentication, authorization, and access controls
- Risk of common API vulnerabilities, including broken object-level access, injection attacks, and insecure endpoints
- Need to verify that fixes were properly implemented and fully effective
- Lack of a structured API security validation process integrated into CI/CD pipelines

Client Goals - Ensure that all previously identified API vulnerabilities were remediated
- Verify authentication, authorization, and secure access controls
- Validate safe handling of sensitive data in API requests and responses
- Integrate API security validation into Agile QA workflows
- Improve UI consistency and accessibility compliance
- Introduce specialized AI model monitoring and validation processes

Scope of API Security Validation - REST endpoints supporting web and AI workflows
- Authentication and token management mechanisms
- Data handling, encryption, and secure transmission
- Error handling, input validation, and security headers

Our Approach
1. Security Validation Planning
- Reviewed vulnerability reports and remediation steps provided by the client
- Mapped reported vulnerabilities to API endpoints and defined targeted validation tests
- Prioritized validation based on business impact and risk severity

2. API Vulnerability Verification
- Verified fixes for OWASP API Security Top 10 vulnerabilities, including Broken Object Level Authorization (BOLA), Injection attacks (SQL, NoSQL, command injections), Excessive data exposure and Security misconfigurations
- Tested input validation, secure headers, and error handling
- Confirmed that sensitive data was no longer exposed

3. Authentication & Authorization Checks
- Verified token handling, session expiration, and API key validation
- Tested role-based access control and unauthorized access scenarios
- Ensured secure access for AI and web workflows relying on APIs

4. Data Privacy & Secure Handling
- Validated encryption of sensitive data in transit and at rest
- Verified masking of PII in logs and monitoring
- Confirmed secure handling of AI-generated responses and workflow data

5. Reporting & Recommendations
- Documented validation results for all tested API vulnerabilities
- Provided actionable feedback and residual risk recommendations

Result Highlights
- Verified proper remediation of all API security vulnerabilities
- Strengthened authentication, authorization, and access controls
- Ensured secure handling of sensitive user and AI-generated data
- Reduced risk of data exposure and unauthorized access via APIs