Alternatives to Akto for VP of Engineerings

middleBrick is a self-service API security scanner that operates as a black-box tool. You submit a URL and receive a risk score from A to F with prioritized findings. It does not require agents, SDKs, or code access, so it works with any language, framework, or cloud target. Scans complete in under a minute using read-only methods (GET and HEAD) plus text-only POST for LLM probes.

The scanner detects findings across 12 categories aligned to OWASP API Top 10 (2023), including Authentication bypasses, JWT misconfigurations such as alg=none or expired tokens, BOLA and IDOR via sequential and adjacent ID probing, BFLA and privilege escalation attempts, property over-exposure, Input Validation issues like CORS wildcard with credentials, rate-limit header detection, Data Exposure including PII patterns and API key formats, encryption misconfigurations, SSRF indicators, Inventory Management issues, and LLM/AI Security probes. For frameworks such as PCI-DSS 4.0, SOC 2 Type II, and OWASP API Top 10, findings map directly to controls and requirements. For other regulations, the scanner helps you prepare for and supports audit evidence, aligning with security controls described in HIPAA, GDPR, ISO 27001, NIST, CCPA, and similar frameworks without claiming certification or compliance.

Authenticated scanning is available in Starter tier and above, supporting Bearer tokens, API keys, Basic auth, and Cookies. Domain verification is enforced through a DNS TXT record or an HTTP well-known file, ensuring only the domain owner can scan with credentials. The scanner forwards a strict header allowlist limited to Authorization, X-API-Key, Cookie, and X-Custom-* headers. OpenAPI 3.0, 3.1, and Swagger 2.0 specs are parsed with recursive $ref resolution, and findings are cross-referenced against spec definitions to identify undefined security schemes, sensitive fields, deprecated operations, and missing pagination.

Pro tier adds continuous monitoring with scheduled rescans every 6 hours, daily, weekly, or monthly. Diff detection highlights new findings, resolved findings, and score drift across scans. Email alerts are rate-limited to one per hour per API, and HMAC-SHA256 signed webhooks disable automatically after 5 consecutive failures. Integration options include a Web Dashboard for scanning and tracking score trends, a CLI via the middlebrick npm package with JSON or text output, a GitHub Action that fails the build when the score drops below a threshold, and an MCP Server for use with AI coding assistants. An API client enables custom integrations.

The scanner uses read-only methods only and never sends destructive payloads. Private IPs, localhost, and cloud metadata endpoints are blocked at multiple layers. Customer scan data is deletable on demand and purged within 30 days of cancellation; data is never sold or used for model training. The tool does not fix, patch, block, or remediate findings, nor does it perform active SQL injection or command injection testing. Business logic vulnerabilities, blind SSRF, and high-stakes audit requirements are outside its scope, and it does not replace a human pentester for those scenarios.