Case Study: How We Prevented a ₹10 Lakh Data Breach via API Exploit
APIs are the backbone of fintech and SaaS businesses, but a single flaw can trigger massive breaches. Here’s how our team uncovered and fixed a critical IDOR vulnerability before attackers could exploit it.
During a black-box API penetration test, our engineers discovered a severe Insecure Direct Object Reference (IDOR) vulnerability. By altering the customer ID in API requests, attackers could access other users’ financial data.
We immediately reported the issue to the fintech company’s CTO. The flaw had gone unnoticed for months because the backend was outsourced to a third-party vendor.
What We Did:
- Enforced strict authorization & role-based access checks on every API endpoint
- Replaced sequential customer IDs with secure UUIDs
- Enabled detailed logging & anomaly detection to identify abnormal request patterns
We secured over 2 lakh sensitive records containing PAN, Aadhaar, and contact details before attackers could exploit them. This helped the client avoid heavy financial penalties and regulatory action.
APIs are now a primary attack surface. Regular VAPT (Vulnerability Assessment & Penetration Testing) and secure coding practices are non-negotiable to safeguard customer data and business continuity.