Autoswagger is a free, open-source tool designed to scan OpenAPI-documented APIs for broken authorization vulnerabilities. These vulnerabilities remain common, even among organizations with strong security postures, and pose a significant risk as they can be exploited easily.
Key features and approach
API Schema Detection: Begins with a list of organization domains and scans for OpenAPI/Swagger documentation across various formats and locations.
Endpoint Enumeration: Parses the discovered API specs to automatically generate a comprehensive list of endpoints along with their required parameters.
Authorization Testing: Sends requests to endpoints using valid parameters and flags those that return successful responses instead of the expected HTTP 401/403, highlighting potential improper or missing access control.
Advanced Scanning: With the --brute flag, the tool can simulate bypassing validation checks, helping to identify endpoints vulnerable to specific data-format-based validation logic.
Sensitive Data Exposure: Reviews successful responses for exposure of sensitive data—such as PII, credentials, or internal records. Endpoints returning such data without proper authentication are included in the output report.
Security Insights
Publicly exposing API documentation expands the attack surface. Unless essential for business, it is advised not to reveal API docs.
Regular API security scanning should be performed after every development iteration to mitigate risks.
Autoswagger is freely available on GitHub, making it an accessible resource for security teams looking to automate API authorization testing and harden their defenses against common vulnerabilities.
