API Security Testing in UAE
What Is API Security Testing?
API security testing is the manual and automated assessment of application programming interfaces for vulnerabilities that let an attacker read or change data they should not reach. It covers authentication and authorisation, object and function-level access control, injection, mass assignment, rate limiting, business logic and data exposure.
The most damaging API flaw, broken object-level authorisation, is simply changing an identifier in a request to access another customer’s record. It is invisible to scanners because the request looks perfectly valid; only a tester who understands your data model finds it.
For UAE fintechs, open banking participants, government platforms and SaaS providers, API testing is required by CBUAE expectations, PCI DSS and increasingly by enterprise customers before integration.
API Challenges We Solve
Our API Testing Services
OWASP API Security Top 10 Testing
Structured coverage of BOLA, broken authentication, BOPLA, resource consumption and the rest.
REST & GraphQL Testing
Endpoint, query, mutation, introspection and nested-query abuse testing for modern APIs.
Authentication & Authorisation Testing
OAuth 2.0, OIDC, JWT, API key and mTLS implementation review with multi-role access testing.
Microservices & Service Mesh Testing
Internal service-to-service authentication, trust boundaries and east-west exposure.
API Discovery & Inventory
Find shadow, zombie and undocumented endpoints across your estate before attackers do.
Business Logic & Workflow Abuse
Payment, transfer, booking and approval flows tested for sequence and value manipulation.
Open Banking & Fintech API Testing
Testing aligned to CBUAE open finance expectations, PCI DSS and partner integration requirements.
Developer Debrief & Free Retest
Walkthrough with your engineering team and verification of fixes before release.
Our API Testing Process
1. Scope & Document
Collect OpenAPI or Postman collections, roles, test accounts and environment details.
2. Map & Enumerate
Discover endpoints, parameters, versions and authorisation boundaries.
3. Attack
Manual exploitation across roles and objects with evidence captured per finding.
4. Report & Retest
Risk-rated findings, reproduction steps, developer debrief and free retest.
Why Choose Skytech for API Testing?
Skytech Cyber Cloud’s application testers hold OSWE, OSCP and CREST credentials and have tested banking, payment, government, healthcare and SaaS APIs across the UAE and GCC.
- Authorisation-focused: we test every endpoint across every role, which is where real breaches start.
- Modern stacks: REST, GraphQL, gRPC, WebSocket and service mesh architectures.
- Developer-ready output: raw requests, responses and code-level remediation guidance.
- Free retesting: fixes verified and the report updated for your auditors and customers.
Related Services
API testing is part of our cyber test and evaluation services. Related: web application testing, mobile application testing, secure code review and cloud penetration testing.
API Testing FAQs
Why do APIs need separate testing from web applications?
A web application test exercises the API only through the user interface, which hides most endpoints and parameters. Direct API testing reaches every endpoint, every parameter and every role combination, which is where broken authorisation and data exposure flaws live.
What is BOLA and why does it matter?
Broken Object Level Authorisation is the most common critical API flaw: the API returns an object based on the identifier supplied without checking whether the caller owns it. One changed number in a request can expose every customer record, and no scanner reliably detects it.
Do you need API documentation?
OpenAPI, Swagger or Postman collections significantly improve coverage and speed. Without them we discover endpoints through traffic capture and enumeration, which takes longer but still works.
How long does an API penetration test take?
A focused API with 20 to 40 endpoints takes 4 to 6 days. Large platforms with many services and roles typically take 2 to 3 weeks.
Do you test GraphQL APIs?
Yes, including introspection exposure, nested query depth and complexity abuse, batching attacks, field-level authorisation and mutation testing.
Can you test APIs in CI/CD before release?
Yes. We can run targeted tests against staging builds at each release and integrate automated API security checks into your pipeline alongside manual periodic testing.