From BOLA to poor access control: why iOS pentesting is key for API security

Common API flaws security teams can’t ignore

APIs are the backbone of today’s mobile and web applications, enabling seamless data exchange and integration. But while APIs accelerate development, they also introduce unique risks that traditional testing often overlooks. Vulnerabilities such as poor access control, broken object-level authorization (BOLA), and hidden endpoints are among the most common and most damaging.

Unlike simple misconfigurations, these API flaws can expose sensitive business logic and customer data. Attackers exploit them to bypass restrictions, escalate privileges, or enumerate sensitive resources. For organizations delivering mobile applications, especially on iOS, these weaknesses can be catastrophic if left unchecked. Keep reading to see how these issues appear in real-world testing and how Strike addresses them.

Broken object-level authorization (BOLA)

BOLA remains one of the top API flaws identified by OWASP. It happens when an API fails to properly enforce authorization checks on objects, allowing attackers to manipulate identifiers in requests.

• Example attack: Changing the user_id parameter in an API call to access another user’s account.
  
• Impact: Exposure of personal data, account takeover, or fraudulent transactions.
  
• Why it’s overlooked: Developers assume client-side controls are enough, ignoring server-side validation.
  

Strike tests for BOLA through both automated scanning and manual pentesting, simulating the exact steps an attacker would take to manipulate object references. By combining these approaches, hidden authorization gaps are revealed before they can be abused.

Poor access control across APIs

Access control flaws in APIs often extend beyond BOLA. APIs may grant excessive permissions by default, fail to differentiate between user roles, or allow endpoints to be reached without proper authentication.

• Real-world risk: An iOS mobile app’s API that fails to enforce role-based restrictions could let regular users perform admin-only functions.
  
• Testing approach: Strike uses iOS pentesting tools to intercept and analyze API traffic, verifying whether permissions are correctly enforced at every level.
  
• Outcome: These assessments uncover where poor access control lets attackers bypass intended restrictions.
  

This testing is critical for organizations where mobile APIs serve as gateways to financial data, healthcare records, or sensitive operations.

Hidden endpoints and unprotected functionality

One of the less obvious but highly impactful API flaws is the presence of hidden or undocumented endpoints. These are often left exposed during development for debugging, forgotten by teams, but easily discovered by attackers.

• Why it matters: Hidden endpoints may reveal sensitive functions (e.g., password resets, debug logs) without proper protections.
  
• How attackers find them: Enumeration, fuzzing, or analyzing iOS binaries to extract API references.
  
• Strike’s method: Combining automated endpoint discovery with manual iOS pentesting techniques, Strikers identify endpoints that developers may have overlooked and assess their security posture.
  

By exposing these weak spots, organizations can lock down functionality that attackers would otherwise exploit silently.

Why iOS pentesting is critical for API security

For many companies, APIs aren’t just powering websites—they’re the backbone of iOS and Android applications. That’s why iOS pentesting has become central to uncovering API flaws. Attackers reverse engineer apps, manipulate API requests, and chain together vulnerabilities like poor access control or BOLA to cause significant breaches.

• iOS pentesting tools allow Strikers to:
  
  
  • Intercept and manipulate mobile API requests
    
  • Identify hidden endpoints embedded in app binaries
    
  • Test for weak authentication and access control mechanisms
    
  • Validate encryption and data protection between the app and server
    

This combination of mobile testing and API-specific pentesting provides full coverage of the attack surface—something automated scanners alone cannot guarantee.

How Strike secures your APIs

Strike combines automated scans and manual pentesting techniques to identify API flaws with high accuracy. Our Strikers replicate attacker behaviors while leveraging proprietary automation to scale across large API environments. The result: vulnerabilities like poor access control, BOLA, and hidden endpoints are exposed and remediated before they lead to breaches.

If you’re already managing sensitive APIs in mobile environments, consider complementing your defense with:

• Continuous pentesting for ongoing monitoring
  
• iOS pentesting services tailored to mobile API risks
  
• Automated retesting to validate fixes quickly

For more technical resources, you can also explore our article on pentesting iOS applications and automated retesting.

APIs are high-value targets for attackers, and common flaws like BOLA, poor access control, and hidden endpoints keep appearing across industries. With the rise of mobile-first services, securing APIs through iOS pentesting and advanced testing tools is more important than ever.

Strike helps organizations move from reactive fixes to proactive defense, ensuring every API endpoint is tested and secured before attackers can exploit it.