API Penetration Testing
REST, GraphQL, and gRPC tested by operators who read your specification and then ignore it. Authorization first, because that is where APIs actually fail.
Authorized testing of your APIs as an attacker uses them, which is not how your documentation describes them. The defining characteristic of API security is that the vulnerabilities are rarely technical flaws in the traditional sense. They are authorization decisions the server failed to make. An endpoint that returns any record whose identifier you supply is working exactly as written and is also a full data breach. Scanners struggle here because there is no malformed payload to detect and no error to flag; a successful attack looks like a valid, well-formed, authenticated request for someone else's data. Finding it requires a human who understands what the object should mean and who is allowed to see it.
We ingest your OpenAPI, GraphQL schema, or proto files for coverage, then discover what they omit by working through client bundles, mobile binaries, and traffic. Testing only the documented surface is the most common reason an API test comes back clean and a breach happens anyway.
Authorization flaws are invisible with one account. We ask for at least two tenants and two privilege levels, then attempt every cross-boundary combination. A test performed with a single set of credentials cannot find the highest-severity class of API vulnerability, and any proposal that does not request multiple identities is not really testing authorization.
These fail differently and get remediated by different teams, so we never blur them in a report. Broken authentication is usually one fix in one place. Broken authorization is usually a pattern repeated across dozens of endpoints, and reporting it as a single finding understates the work required.
APIs change faster than anything else you own, so annual testing fits them worst. In our continuous program a specification diff triggers testing of what changed, which is how you catch the endpoint that shipped without its authorization decorator in the same sprint it was written.
Most API test reports are thin because the tester ran a scanner against a specification with one token. We work multi-tenant and multi-privilege from the start, systematically rather than by sampling, because that is the only way the highest-severity findings surface.
Where you grant source access, we review the entire API layer rather than a sample, using self-hosted models inside an isolated lab so your code never transits a third-party API. Operators validate every candidate before it becomes a finding.
Each finding carries the request that proves it, a CVSS v3.1 vector, the OWASP API Top 10 and CWE mapping, and a specific fix rather than a link to a standard. Where a flaw is a pattern across endpoints, we say so, so the fix addresses the pattern instead of one route.
Great consulting firms for scaling security, compliance, and appsec.
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Outstanding partner in Technical and Cyber Due Diligence
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Appsec maturity and application hardening.
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BD Emerson helped us simplfiy our compliance management.
BD Emerson did such a phenomenal job. What started as privacy support quickly became a full partnership across compliance, engineering, and even business operations. They’re embedded with our team. They understand our product. They move fast. They’re simply invaluable.
Great consulting firms for scaling security, compliance, and appsec.
Outstanding partner in Technical and Cyber Due Diligence
Appsec maturity and application hardening.
BD Emerson helped us simplfiy our compliance management.
BD Emerson did such a phenomenal job. What started as privacy support quickly became a full partnership across compliance, engineering, and even business operations. They’re embedded with our team. They understand our product. They move fast. They’re simply invaluable.
We had a hard time finding the right company to partner with in support of our compliance journey. Some vendors sell the idea that they do the work, but then you end up doing everything. The ambiguity is what killed our last project. BD Emerson’s team has such great technical knowledge and understands the standard so well that they made us comfortable with moving fast. This has led to us closing major enterprise customers that were previously out of reach because of security and compliance.
Lead an enterprise initiative to overhaul the organization's technology stack from ecommerce, corporate tech, and corporate security.
Supported ISO 42001 exercise and served as internal auditor.
Rubrik's privacy and compliance team began with the backbone of BD Emerson. BD Emerson supported building out the privacy program, GRC (ISO 27001, SOC 2, CMMC, FedRAMP), and the appsec function.
We needed a partner who could move quickly, without sacrificing precision. BD Emerson brought the expertise, structure, and speed we were looking for. Their team became an extension of ours, embedding themselves across the organization, guiding us step by step, and giving us confidence in areas we hadn’t tackled before. The internal audit they conducted was so detailed that even the external auditors called it out. Achieving ISO 27001 with zero nonconformities says everything you need to know about the quality of the partnership.
We had a hard time finding the right company to partner with in support of our compliance journey. Some vendors sell the idea that they do the work, but then you end up doing everything. The ambiguity is what killed our last project. BD Emerson’s team has such great technical knowledge and understands the standard so well that they made us comfortable with moving fast. This has led to us closing major enterprise customers that were previously out of reach because of security and compliance.
Lead an enterprise initiative to overhaul the organization's technology stack from ecommerce, corporate tech, and corporate security.
Supported ISO 42001 exercise and served as internal auditor.
Rubrik's privacy and compliance team began with the backbone of BD Emerson. BD Emerson supported building out the privacy program, GRC (ISO 27001, SOC 2, CMMC, FedRAMP), and the appsec function.
We needed a partner who could move quickly, without sacrificing precision. BD Emerson brought the expertise, structure, and speed we were looking for. Their team became an extension of ours, embedding themselves across the organization, guiding us step by step, and giving us confidence in areas we hadn’t tackled before. The internal audit they conducted was so detailed that even the external auditors called it out. Achieving ISO 27001 with zero nonconformities says everything you need to know about the quality of the partnership.
BD Emerson didn’t just help us meet our compliance goals; they integrated security and privacy into the core of our operations. I highly recommend BD Emerson to anyone seeking SOC 2 or GDPR compliance, or simply looking to enhance their security team and boost customer trust in their product and services. Their dedication and expertise have been invaluable to our success.
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BD Emerson understood our business requirements and worked side-by-side with us. The policies and controls we developed together not only meet compliance standards but improve how we operate day to day.
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From day one, BD Emerson brought urgency, clarity, and a sharp understanding of what truly matters to our business — earning and keeping customer trust. They went beyond helping us meet compliance requirements; they helped build a foundation for secure, scalable growth. That kind of partnership is rare.
BD Emerson didn’t just help us pass an audit—they helped us build a sustainable culture of security.
BD Emerson was essential in helping our company navigate the daunting process of leveling up our security infrastructure. BD Emerson’s impressive expertise and confidence throughout the process helped our team exceed HIPAA and SOC 2 Type 1 standards quickly, distilling what can be an overwhelming process into a streamlined, organized effort. From day one they began adding value and getting us on course. With their help we delivered on a massive security overhaul with both extreme efficiency and thorough attention to details. Because of BD Emerson’s support, we’ve increased our clients’ trust in Titan Intake and the life-changing work it accomplishes for those seeking specialist referrals.
BD Emerson didn’t just help us meet our compliance goals; they integrated security and privacy into the core of our operations. I highly recommend BD Emerson to anyone seeking SOC 2 or GDPR compliance, or simply looking to enhance their security team and boost customer trust in their product and services. Their dedication and expertise have been invaluable to our success.
BD Emerson understood our business requirements and worked side-by-side with us. The policies and controls we developed together not only meet compliance standards but improve how we operate day to day.
From day one, BD Emerson brought urgency, clarity, and a sharp understanding of what truly matters to our business — earning and keeping customer trust. They went beyond helping us meet compliance requirements; they helped build a foundation for secure, scalable growth. That kind of partnership is rare.
BD Emerson didn’t just help us pass an audit—they helped us build a sustainable culture of security.
BD Emerson was essential in helping our company navigate the daunting process of leveling up our security infrastructure. BD Emerson’s impressive expertise and confidence throughout the process helped our team exceed HIPAA and SOC 2 Type 1 standards quickly, distilling what can be an overwhelming process into a streamlined, organized effort. From day one they began adding value and getting us on course. With their help we delivered on a massive security overhaul with both extreme efficiency and thorough attention to details. Because of BD Emerson’s support, we’ve increased our clients’ trust in Titan Intake and the life-changing work it accomplishes for those seeking specialist referrals.
