Talk to Threatless

Service / Validate

Find what your applications and APIs allow that they should not.

Modern applications are defined by their workflows, roles and APIs. We test how they behave under hostile use: whether a user can reach data that is not theirs, whether a workflow can be abused, whether an API enforces the rules the interface implies.

Scope this engagementAll services
Web Application & API Security Testing at a glance
Purpose
Prove what an attacker could achieve
Deliverables
Findings with reproduction steps, Root-cause explanations, Developer-ready remediation, Developer walkthrough
Starts with
Agreed scope and written authorization

Overview

What web application and API security testing is for.

Many of the most damaging application weaknesses are logic errors: an API that trusts an identifier sent by the client, a checkout flow that can be replayed, an administrative function protected only by being hidden. These issues rarely appear in automated scan results.

Testing starts with how your application is meant to work, then explores how it can be made to work differently. Public references such as the OWASP Web Security Testing Guide and the OWASP API Security Top 10 inform coverage, adapted to your architecture.

Suited to

  • Applications that handle personal, financial or otherwise sensitive data
  • Public or partner-facing APIs, including those behind mobile apps
  • Multi-tenant platforms where isolation between customers matters
  • Major releases that change authentication, roles or data flows

Typically in scope

  • Authentication, session handling and account recovery
  • Authorization across roles, tenants and object references
  • Business logic and multi-step workflows
  • Input handling and injection classes
  • API design, rate limiting and data exposure
  • Client-side behavior relevant to the threat model

Approach

How the work is done.

The steps every engagement follows, at the level we share publicly.

  1. 01

    Understand the application

    Review roles, workflows and API definitions, ideally with an OpenAPI or similar specification, to model where trust decisions are made.
  2. 02

    Test identity and access

    Check authentication and session handling, and whether each role can reach only what it should, including object-level authorization in APIs.
  3. 03

    Test logic and data handling

    Probe workflows, state transitions and input handling for abuse the design did not anticipate.
  4. 04

    Validate and document

    Confirm each finding with safe, reproducible evidence and record exactly how it was established.
  5. 05

    Work through fixes

    Review findings with developers, explain root causes and, if agreed, retest the fixes.

Deliverables

What you receive.

Deliverables are confirmed in writing during scoping, so you know exactly what to expect before the work begins.

01Findings with reproduction steps
The requests, responses and conditions needed to reproduce each issue in your environment.
02Root-cause explanations
Why each issue exists, so fixes address the design rather than a single symptom.
03Developer-ready remediation
Guidance specific to your stack and patterns, prioritized by risk.
04Developer walkthrough
An optional working session with the engineers who will make the fixes.

Before we start

What we need, and what is not included.

What we need from you

  • Written authorization and an agreed target environment (a staging environment is preferred)
  • Test accounts for each role, and for at least two tenants where isolation is in scope
  • API documentation or specifications where available
  • Agreement on test data and on how any sensitive data encountered during testing is handled

Not included

  • Full source code review, unless it is added to the scope.
  • Performance, load or denial-of-service testing.
  • Testing of third-party services you do not control or cannot authorize.

Related technology

Where software helps.

  • Advanced Vulnerability Assessment

    Threatless DeepScan

    Designed for deeper, evidence-led assessment of the same applications over time.

    Explore DeepScan

  • Continuous Threat Exposure Management

    Threatless CTEM

    Designed to carry application findings into the continuous exposure cycle.

    Explore CTEM

Questions

What teams ask before scoping.

Should we test in production or staging?

A staging environment is usually preferred, as long as it closely matches production. Where production testing is necessary, the rules of engagement limit techniques and timing.

Do you need our source code?

No. Testing is normally performed from the outside with documented access. Access to code or specifications can make testing more efficient and thorough, and can be discussed during scoping.

Is this different from a penetration test?

It is a focused form of penetration testing aimed at applications and APIs, with more attention on logic, authorization and data handling than a broad infrastructure test.

How should we prepare test accounts?

Provide accounts for each role in scope and, where tenant isolation matters, for at least two separate tenants, so cross-tenant access can be tested safely.

Web Application & API Security Testing

Put your most important application to the test.

Describe the application, its users and roles, and any deadline. We will propose a scope. Nothing is tested until it is authorized in writing.

Scope this engagement