For those who don’t know, GraphQL is a query language and runtime for APIs developed by Facebook and is now open-source (relief 😌).
And like any other software, GraphQL too has its own pros and cons.
You may ignore cons related to features or functionality. But what if I tell you that there’s a list of vulnerabilities in GraphQL?
Worry not. There are various tools that will help you find and fix GraphQL security vulnerabilities.
But before I introduce you to the tools, first, let’s take a look at what GraphQL is and what its vulnerabilities are.
What is GraphQL?
To explain what GraphQL is, imagine a scenario; you’re sitting at a restaurant ordering lunch.
But you may not want the exact dish mentioned on the menu. Sometimes, you may want to include/remove some ingredients. Say you are allergic to nuts and want to customize the food as you wish.
Think of GraphQL as a waiter who customizes your specified food and gets you exactly what you asked, but GraphQL works on the data from the servers.
Using such tech, modern-day applications can get you specific data that saves you a lot of bandwidth and also improves the user experience.
Read more about the top GraphQL Software.
Vulnerabilities of GraphQL
Here’s a list of the potential list of vulnerabilities that can be used by people with dark intentions to breach sensitive information.
- Over-fetching and under-fetching: This vulnerability can over-exhaust server resources. If the instructions to fetch data from GraphQL are improper, it can lead you to over-fetching (gets more data than requested) or under-fetching (gets less data than asked and makes the user request data several times).
- Excessive data exposure: When the access control is misconfigured, it exposes the critical data. And if the server allows unauthorized access, then any hacker with sufficient skills can breach the data easily.
- Nested queries issue: By default, there is no complexity limit, which allows you to ship complex queries. Now think of multiple complex queries nested that will acquire all the system resources, leading to slow response and even a potential DOS (Denial Of Service) attack.
- Injections: GraphQL is nothing but a query language with user-supplied input which simply means if your API is not secure, it can be injected with malicious code, and your database, file system, and even the network and OS can be targeted.
- GraphQL bombs: These were discovered in August 2022 and affect APIs that implemented GraphQL file uploads. This is a DOS (Denial Of Service) attack that involves sending many HTTP requests to the GraphQL endpoint.
- Misconfigured HTTP headers: While it sounds like nothing, trust me, this can do a lot more damage than you think. If not configured properly, it can open gates for attacks like CSRF (Cross-Site Request Forgery), MIME sniffing, Man in the Middle attack, and a lot more.
- Rate limiting is misconfigured or not configured: Rate limiting is nothing but limiting the number of queries the client can make in a specific time frame. And if not configured, that leads to a potential DOS threat!
Sounds scary? Isn’t it?
Now I will share some of the best tools you can use to find and fix GraphQL vulnerabilities and secure your server. Here’s a summary of the tools we will discuss.
| Product | Notable Features |
|---|---|
| Escape GraphQL Security | Fast scans, real risks, integration with developer tools |
| Inviciti GraphQL Scanner | Scans for various attacks, modern-day attack protection |
| StackHawk GraphQL testing | Continuous vulnerability checks, automated security |
| Beagle Security | Active testing, CI/CD integration, detailed reports |
| GraphQL dot Security | Free option, endpoint checking, up-to-date database |
| Qualysec GraphQL Pen Testing | OWASP Top 10 analysis, dynamic/static API testing |
| AppCheck Security Scanning | API, SPA, and endpoint testing, Jira/TeamCity support |
| Synopsis API Security Testing | Continuous background testing, visual flaw mapping |
| Bright Security API Testing | Microservice focus, CLI, SaaS-based, CI/CD integration |
Escape GraphQL Security
Escape builds its products while keeping developers in mind, and its GeaphQL security checker is no different.
Being one of the very few security service providers, you can be assured that the very new vulnerability will be scanned in a moment.
But there’s more to it:
- It takes about 60 seconds to start the first scan!
- Escape’s database has been kept up-to-date on vulnerabilities.
- Shows real risks rather than showing issues that might be a risk.
- Integration with your favorite developer tools.
So if you’re looking for a fast and easy solution to check GraohQL vulnerability, Escape can be your next stop.
Inviciti GraphQL Scanner
Previously known as Netsparker, Inviciti is one of the most trusted and popular names among the scanning APIs.
But what a customer wants to know is how many types of attacks it can take care of, so here’s a list of severe attacks and vulnerabilities that can be scanned with this product:
- Blind command injection
- Blind SQL injection
- Command injection
- Remote code execution
- Server-side Request Forgery
A rock-solid solution to be saved from modern-day attacks.
StackHawk GraphQL security testing
The best part of using StackHawk’s GraphQL testing is it checks for all the GraphQL vulnerabilities at every pull request.
And if that key feature is not enough to win your heart, here are more exciting features from StackHawk:
- Automated security testing.
- Lightning-fast testing and fixing
- Easy UI
- Magnificent documentation for easy self-fixing
Pretty cool. Right?
Beagle Security
Beagle Security specializes in providing automated web application security testing solutions and helps companies to identify and fix security flaws.
And their four key features make them super special:
- Intensive and active testing
- Integrated with CI/CD
- Detailed reports
- Detailed fix suggestions from security experts
You can also use their free website assessment checker to find vulnerabilities in your site.
GraphQL dot Security (graphql.security)
If you’re looking for a free option and comfortable with limited features, then there’s nothing that beats the offering from graphql.security.
This is also a product from Escape so you can be assured of their tests and reliability.
And some of the key features include:
- Up-to-date database of Escape
- No registration required
- Ability to check endpoint in a single click
- Free service
So if you’re just getting started with your online business and have budget constraints, I would highly recommend using graph.security.
Qualysec GraphQL API Penetration Testing
Qualysec provides professional GraphQL API Penetration Testing and is a cybersecurity assessment service, so you can uncover vulnerabilities and fix them and be assured of all security issues.
And here are some interesting features that they provide:
- Product analyzed for the OWASP Top 10 GraphQL API Testing to get protected against the most common threats.
- Dynamic API testing.
- Static API testing.
- Software composition analysis.
Apart from security features, their report for vulnerability scan is outstanding as it includes a penetration report, retest report, Letter of attestation, and Security certificate.
AppCheck Security Scanning
Appcheck gives you complete assistance to test APIs, but not just that. It comes with multiple features like SPA crawling, endpoint discovery, and more.
But there’s more to it:
- Saves time with practical workflow.
- Compatible with Jira, TeamCity, and other development tools.
- Discover zero days, plus 100,000+ known security flaws and full OWASP.
A pretty huge list of features. Isn’t it?
Synopsis API Security Testing
Synopsis has an API testing program that will automatically discover exposed endpoints of your application, and all of this will be running in the background continuously!
Still not enough to convince you? Here are some more amazing features:
- Pinpoints flaws in code and data with visual mapping
- Automatic vulnerable discovery
- Threat and risk assessments
Bright Security API Testing
Bright security services are designed for modern microservice environments and provide seamless integration with SDLC, CI/CD, and git workflows so the vulnerabilities can be detected as easily as possible.
And here are some key features of Bright security:
- Convenient CLI for developers
- 100% SaaS-based
- CI/CD Integration
- Vulnerabilities mapped to OWASP API Security Top 10
Wrapping Up…
In this tutorial, I have explained the key GraphQL vulnerabilities and the best tools to find GraphQL vulnerabilities and fix them.