API security for VP of Engineerings

As VP of Engineering, you need a concise view of API risk that aligns with program-level controls such as PCI-DSS 4.0, SOC 2 Type II, and OWASP API Top 10 (2023). middleBrick is a self-service API security scanner that submits a URL and returns a risk score from A to F with prioritized findings. Because it is a black-box scanner, it requires no agents, SDKs, or code access, and it works with any language, framework, or cloud. Scan times are under a minute, and the tool only uses read-only methods plus text-only POST for LLM probes, which avoids production impact.

The scanner covers 12 categories aligned to OWASP API Top 10 (2023) and maps findings directly to PCI-DSS 4.0 and SOC 2 Type II where relevant. Detection capabilities include authentication bypass and JWT misconfigurations, BOLA and IDOR via sequential ID enumeration, BFLA and privilege escalation through admin endpoint probing, property over-exposure and mass-assignment surface, input validation issues such as CORS wildcard usage and dangerous HTTP methods, rate-limiting and oversized response detection, PII and sensitive data exposure including API key formats, encryption and HTTPS misconfigurations, SSRF against URL-accepting parameters, inventory issues like missing versioning, unsafe consumption surfaces, and LLM / AI security probes across multiple scan tiers. For other frameworks and regulations, the results help you prepare for, align with security controls described in, and support audit evidence for relevant programs, without implying certification or guarantees.

Authenticated scanning (Bearer, API key, Basic auth, Cookie) is available from the Starter tier and above, gated by domain verification using DNS TXT records or an HTTP well-known file to ensure only domain owners can scan with credentials. The scanner forwards a strict header allowlist limited to Authorization, X-API-Key, Cookie, and X-Custom-* headers. Destructive payloads are never sent, private IPs and cloud metadata endpoints are blocked at multiple layers, and customer scan data is deletable on demand and purged within 30 days of cancellation.

Use the Web Dashboard to manage scans, review reports, track score trends, and download branded compliance PDFs. The CLI npm package supports commands such as middlebrick scan <url> with JSON or text output. The GitHub Action enforces CI/CD gates and fails the build when the score drops below a configured threshold. The MCP Server enables scanning from AI coding assistants, and the API client supports custom integrations. For ongoing risk management, the Pro tier offers scheduled rescans, diff detection across scans, email alerts rate-limited to one per hour per API, HMAC-SHA256 signed webhooks with auto-disable after five consecutive failures, and compliance reporting.

middleBrick does not fix, patch, block, or remediate findings; it detects and reports with remediation guidance. It does not perform active SQL injection or command injection testing, which falls outside its read-only scope. The tool does not detect business logic vulnerabilities, blind SSRF relying on out-of-band infrastructure, or provide evidence for frameworks outside the stated mapping. It is not a replacement for a human pentester in high-stakes audits. Continuous monitoring and configuration of thresholds should be managed by your team to align with internal risk policies.