API security scenarios

Become aware of API security fundamentals through real-world scenarios that every B2B SaaS founder should understand. Each scenario takes just a few minutes and shows the business impact of common security issues.

12
Total Scenarios
6
Beginner
3
Intermediate
3
Advanced
πŸ•΅οΈ
Beginner High Risk

The competitor's spy

A rival company discovers they can access other customers' data through URL manipulation

⏱️ 3 minutes πŸ”’ Broken object level authorisation
😑
Beginner Critical Risk

The angry ex-employee

A former team member's API keys still work months after they left the company

⏱️ 2 minutes πŸ”’ Broken authentication
πŸš€
Intermediate High Risk

The scale attack

Bots overwhelm your system during your biggest sales demo of the year

⏱️ 4 minutes πŸ”’ Lack of resources & rate-limiting
🐴
Advanced Critical Risk

The trojan integration

A popular third-party integration is secretly harvesting your customer data

⏱️ 5 minutes πŸ”’ Insufficient logging & monitoring
πŸ“±
Intermediate Medium Risk

The accidental exposure

Your mobile app accidentally reveals sensitive system information in error messages

⏱️ 3 minutes πŸ”’ Excessive data exposure
πŸ‘‘
Advanced Critical Risk

The privilege escalation

A curious user discovers they can make themselves an admin by modifying form data

⏱️ 4 minutes πŸ”’ Mass assignment
πŸ”‘
Beginner High Risk

The exposed API keys

Your API keys are accidentally committed to a public GitHub repository

⏱️ 3 minutes πŸ”’ Improper assets management
πŸšͺ
Beginner Critical Risk

The forgotten endpoint

A new API endpoint for admin reports was deployed without any authentication checks

⏱️ 2 minutes πŸ”’ Broken user authentication
πŸ’‰
Intermediate Critical Risk

The API injection nightmare

Your customer search API is vulnerable to NoSQL injection, exposing sensitive data

⏱️ 4 minutes πŸ”’ Injection
🌐
Beginner High Risk

The CORS configuration chaos

Your API accepts requests from any domain, allowing malicious websites to steal user data

⏱️ 3 minutes πŸ”’ Security misconfiguration
πŸ”
Beginner Critical Risk

The JWT secret disaster

Your JWT tokens are signed with a weak secret that gets cracked, allowing anyone to forge admin tokens

⏱️ 3 minutes πŸ”’ Cryptographic failures
⛓️
Advanced Critical Risk

The API chaining catastrophe

Attackers chain multiple legitimate API calls to bypass business rules and manipulate financial data

⏱️ 5 minutes πŸ”’ Business logic vulnerabilities

Ready to secure your API?

These scenarios are based on the OWASP API Security Top 10. After completing them, you'll understand the most critical API security risks facing B2B SaaS companies.

Business Impact Focus Non-Technical Friendly Real-World Examples Actionable Takeaways
Book an audit