Alternatives to APIsec in Fintech

middleBrick is a self-service API security scanner designed for environments where exposing internal architecture is not an option. You submit an API endpoint, and within under a minute you receive a risk score from A to F with prioritized findings. The scanner operates as a black-box solution with no agents, no SDK integration, and no access to source code. It supports any language, framework, or cloud deployment model. Only read-only methods are exercised, including GET and HEAD, with text-only POST used for LLM probes. Sensitive endpoints, local addresses, and cloud metadata targets are blocked at multiple layers to ensure safe execution.

The scanner evaluates 12 security categories aligned to the OWASP API Top 10 (2023). Detection coverage includes authentication bypass and JWT misconfigurations such as alg=none, weak algorithms, expired tokens, missing claims, and exposure of sensitive data in claims. It identifies BOLA and IDOR through sequential ID enumeration and active adjacent-ID probing. Additional checks cover BFLA and privilege escalation by probing admin endpoints and analyzing role or permission field leakage. The scanner surfaces input validation issues like CORS wildcards, dangerous HTTP methods, and debug endpoints. Data exposure checks identify PII patterns, including email addresses, Luhn-validated card numbers, context-aware SSN formats, and common API key formats for AWS, Stripe, GitHub, and Slack. Encryption checks validate HTTPS redirects, HSTS, cookie flags, and mixed content. SSRF probes target URL-accepting parameters and body fields, including attempts to reach internal IPs. Inventory management checks assess missing versioning, legacy paths, and server fingerprinting. The tool also covers unsafe consumption surfaces and LLM / AI Security through 18 adversarial probe tiers, including system prompt extraction, instruction override, jailbreak techniques, data exfiltration, token smuggling, and indirect prompt injection.

middleBrick parses OpenAPI 3.0, 3.1, and Swagger 2.0 files, resolving recursive $ref references. It cross-references spec definitions against runtime behavior to identify undefined security schemes, sensitive fields, deprecated operations, and missing pagination. When authenticated scanning is enabled, supported methods include Bearer tokens, API keys, Basic auth, and cookies. Domain verification is enforced through DNS TXT records or an HTTP well-known file to ensure only the domain owner can run credentialed scans. A strict header allowlist limits forwarded headers to Authorization, X-API-Key, Cookie, and X-Custom-* to reduce noise and control scope.

For ongoing risk tracking, the Pro tier provides scheduled rescans at intervals of six hours, daily, weekly, or monthly. It detects differences between scans, highlighting new findings, resolved issues, and score drift. Alerts are delivered via email at a rate-limited cadence of one per hour per API and through HMAC-SHA256 signed webhooks that auto-disable after five consecutive failures. Integration options include a web dashboard for managing scans and reviewing trend reports, a CLI available as an npm package with JSON and text output, a GitHub Action for CI/CD gating that fails builds when scores drop below a threshold, and an MCP server for use with AI coding assistants. Programmatic access to the scanner is available through an API client for custom integrations.

middleBrick maps findings directly to three frameworks: PCI-DSS 4.0, SOC 2 Type II, and OWASP API Top 10 (2023). For other frameworks, the tool aligns with security controls described in or supports audit evidence for relevant assessments. The scanner does not perform active exploitation such as SQL injection or command injection, as those methods fall outside its read-only scope. It does not replace a human pentester for high-stakes engagements or provide remediation, focusing instead on clear detection and guidance. Customer data is deletable on demand and purged within 30 days of cancellation. It is never sold and is not used for model training.