Alternatives to APIsec for CISOs

Try middleBrick free

What middleBrick covers

  • Letter-grade risk scoring with prioritized remediation guidance
  • Black-box scanning with read-only, non-intrusive methods
  • Mapping of findings to PCI-DSS, SOC 2, and OWASP API Top 10
  • Authenticated scans with strict header allowlist and domain verification
  • LLM adversarial probes across multiple scan depth tiers
  • Integrations including dashboard, CLI, GitHub Action, and MCP Server

Risk Scoring And Prioritization

middleBrick provides a single letter grade from A to F and a prioritized list of findings for each submitted API endpoint. The scanner evaluates authentication mechanisms, authorization boundaries, input validation, data exposure vectors, and LLM-specific attack surfaces. Each finding includes severity indicators and remediation guidance to support rapid triage.

Black Box Approach And Scope

As a black-box scanner, middleBrick requires no agents, SDKs, or code access. It operates with read-only methods such as GET and HEAD, plus text-only POST for LLM probes, and completes most scans in under a minute. The approach is deliberately non-intrusive: no destructive payloads are ever sent, and sensitive endpoints such as localhost, private IP ranges, and cloud metadata services are blocked at multiple layers.

Framework Mapping And Analysis

middleBrick maps findings to three specific frameworks: PCI-DSS 4.0, SOC 2 Type II, and OWASP API Top 10 (2023). For other controls, the tool supports audit evidence collection and helps you prepare for security reviews through alignment with described controls. OpenAPI 3.0, 3.1, and Swagger 2.0 specs are parsed with recursive $ref resolution, and spec definitions are cross-referenced against runtime behavior to identify undefined security schemes or deprecated operations.

Authenticated Scanning And Safety Controls

Authenticated scanning is available from the Starter tier and up, supporting Bearer tokens, API keys, Basic authentication, and cookies. Domain verification through DNS TXT records or HTTP well-known files ensures only domain owners can scan with credentials. A strict header allowlist limits forwarded headers to Authorization, X-API-Key, Cookie, and X-Custom-*, and sensitive customer data can be deleted on demand within 30 days of cancellation.

Product Integrations And Continuous Monitoring

The platform integrates into existing workflows via a Web Dashboard for reporting and score trends, a CLI for on-demand scans, a GitHub Action that can fail builds on score degradation, and an MCP Server for AI-assisted development. Pro tier adds scheduled rescans, diff detection, HMAC-SHA256 signed webhooks, and alert rate-limiting. The tool does not fix, patch, or block issues; it reports findings and guidance only.

See how middleBrick compares See all use cases

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the scanner perform active exploitation such as SQL injection or command injection?
No. middleBrick does not execute intrusive payloads. Its read-only methodology avoids active exploitation techniques that require destructive input.
Can the tool detect business logic vulnerabilities or blind SSRF?
No. Business logic issues require domain context, and blind SSRF relies on out-of-band infrastructure that is out of scope. The scanner focuses on detectable configuration and implementation flaws.
Is compliance certification provided by the scanner?
No. The tool surfaces findings relevant to PCI-DSS 4.0, SOC 2 Type II, and OWASP API Top 10, but it does not certify compliance. Assessments should be validated by qualified personnel.
How are LLM-specific risks evaluated during a scan?
The scanner runs 18 adversarial probes across three tiers: Quick, Standard, and Deep. These probes test for system prompt extraction, instruction override, jailbreak techniques, data exfiltration attempts, and token smuggling, among other AI security concerns.

Related Pages

API security for SREsThe API security playbook for SREs: what to check, how often, and what to automate.API security for CTOsThe API security playbook for CTOs: what to check, how often, and what to automate.API security for VP of EngineeringsThe API security playbook for VP of Engineerings: what to check, how often, and what to automate.Alternatives to DetectifyViable alternatives to Detectify for API security — including middleBrick.Alternatives to Noname SecurityViable alternatives to Noname Security for API security — including middleBrick.Alternatives to Salt SecurityViable alternatives to Salt Security for API security — including middleBrick.