OWASP Top 10: API Security Playbook
APIs are now the primary attack surface—and most teams don’t know how to defend them properly. This course walks you through the OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities that actually matter in production, with real-world exploitation scenarios and hardening strategies you can implement immediately.
AIU.ac Verdict: Essential for backend engineers, API architects, and security-minded developers who need to ship secure APIs without slowing down. The 2h 20m runtime is tight—expect focused content, not exhaustive deep-dives into every edge case.
What This Course Covers
You’ll work through the OWASP API Security Top 10 framework, covering broken object-level authorisation (BOLA), user authentication failures, excessive data exposure, and injection attacks. Each vulnerability is demonstrated in a live environment, showing how attackers exploit it and how to patch it. You’ll see real code examples and learn which controls matter most when you’re under deadline pressure.
The course emphasises the playbook approach: recognising threats in code review, testing for them in your pipeline, and fixing them without architectural rework. Gavin Johnson-Lynn structures this around what security teams actually ask developers to do, not theoretical CVSS scoring.
Who Is This Course For?
Ideal for:
- Backend and API developers: Need to understand API-specific threats beyond generic web security and write defensible code from day one.
- Security engineers and architects: Want a structured reference for API threat modelling and a framework to audit existing services against industry standards.
- Tech leads and engineering managers: Need to brief teams on API security risks and establish baseline controls without becoming a bottleneck.
May not suit:
- Complete security beginners: Assumes familiarity with HTTP, REST APIs, and basic authentication concepts. Start with foundational web security first.
- Infrastructure-only specialists: Focuses on application-layer API threats, not network security or cloud infrastructure hardening.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does OWASP Top 10: API Security Playbook take?
2 hours 20 minutes. It’s designed as a focused sprint, not a comprehensive course—ideal for busy teams who need actionable knowledge fast.
Do I need prior security certifications?
No. You need working knowledge of APIs and HTTP, but not formal security training. The course assumes you code or architect APIs regularly.
Will this help me pass security audits?
Yes. The OWASP Top 10 is the industry standard framework auditors use. You’ll learn what they’re looking for and how to demonstrate controls.
Can I apply this to GraphQL or gRPC APIs?
The core principles apply across API types, though the course focuses on REST. The threat model and mitigation strategies are portable.
Course by Gavin Johnson-Lynn on Pluralsight. Duration: 2h 20m. Last verified by AIU.ac: March 2026.
