middleBrick vs 42Crunch

middleBrick is a black-box API security scanner that submits only read-only methods (GET and HEAD) plus text-only POST for LLM probes. It requires no agents, SDKs, or code access and works with any language, framework, or cloud. Scan completion is under one minute, and findings are mapped to OWASP API Top 10 (2023), PCI-DSS 4.0, and SOC 2 Type II. Public information about 42Crunch is limited; its approach is commonly described as API security testing with a focus on runtime posture and policy enforcement, though exact methodologies are not detailed in publicly available materials.

middleBrick detects issues across 12 categories including authentication bypass, JWT misconfigurations (alg=none, expired tokens, missing claims), BOLA and IDOR via sequential ID probing, BFLA and privilege escalation attempts, over-exposed properties, input validation risks such as CORS wildcard and dangerous methods, rate-limiting characteristics, data exposure including PII patterns and API key formats, encryption misconfigurations, SSRF indicators, inventory issues like missing versioning, unsafe consumption surfaces, and LLM/AI security probes across tiered scan depths. It parses OpenAPI 3.0, 3.1, and Swagger 2.0 with recursive $ref resolution and cross-references spec definitions against runtime findings. Public details on 42Crunch’s detection set are sparse; vendor materials highlight policy checks and runtime behavior monitoring, with an emphasis on organizational security policies rather than mapped threat frameworks.

middleBrick supports Bearer, API key, Basic auth, and Cookie authentication for scans at the Starter tier and above. A domain verification gate (DNS TXT record or HTTP well-known file) ensures only domain owners can scan with credentials. The scanner follows a strict read-only safety posture: destructive payloads are never sent, private IPs and cloud metadata endpoints are blocked at multiple layers, and customer data is deletable on demand and never used for model training. Setup footprint is minimal, requiring only a URL submission through the dashboard, CLI, CI/CD action, or MCP server. Public information on 42Crunch deployment is limited; typical API security platforms often require agent-based instrumentation or integration proxies, which introduce additional maintenance overhead and potential performance impact.

middleBrick offers a Web Dashboard for scan management and trend tracking, a CLI via an npm package for scriptable runs, a GitHub Action for CI/CD gating, an MCP server for AI coding assistants, and an API client for custom integrations. Pro tier adds scheduled rescans, diff detection across scans, email alerts rate-limited to one per hour per API, HMAC-SHA256 signed webhooks, and compliance report downloads. As of the current public information, 42Crunch provides its own set of integrations and monitoring capabilities, though specifics on automated feedback loops and developer toolchain compatibility are not detailed. middleBrick does not claim to fix, patch, block, or remediate; it surfaces findings with remediation guidance and does not replace human review for business logic or high-stakes audit scenarios.

middleBrick pricing is transparent: Free tier allows three scans per month with CLI access; Starter at 99 USD per month supports 15 APIs, monthly scans, dashboard, email alerts, and MCP server; Pro at 499 USD per month supports 100 APIs with additional API pricing, continuous monitoring, GitHub Action gates, CI/CD integration, Slack or Teams alerts, compliance reports, and signed webhooks; Enterprise at 2000 USD per month offers unlimited APIs, custom rules, SSO, audit logs, SLA, and dedicated support. Costs scale with API count in Pro and Enterprise tiers. Public 42Crunch pricing is not detailed here; evaluating total cost of ownership should include integration effort, maintenance, and any required infrastructure changes.