api-auth-and-jwt-abuse

SKILL.md

SKILL: API Auth and JWT Abuse — Token Trust, Header Tricks, and Rate Limits

AI LOAD INSTRUCTION: Use this skill when APIs rely on JWT, bearer tokens, API keys, or weak request identity signals. Focus on token trust boundaries, claim misuse, header spoofing, and rate-limit bypass.

1. TOKEN TRIAGE

Inspect:

alg, kid, jku, x5u

role, org, tenant, scope, or privilege claims

issuer and audience mismatches

reuse of mobile and web tokens across products

2. QUICK ATTACK PICKS

Pattern
First Test

alg:none acceptance
unsigned token with trailing dot

RS256 confusion
switch to HS256 using public key as secret

kid lookup trust
path traversal or injection in kid

remote key fetch trust
attacker-controlled jku or x5u

weak secret
offline crack with targeted wordlists

3. HIDDEN FIELDS AND BATCH ABUSE

Mass assignment field picks

role
isAdmin
admin
verified
plan
tier
permissions
org
owner

Rate limit and batch abuse picks

X-Forwarded-For: 1.2.3.4
X-Real-IP: 5.6.7.8
Forwarded: for=9.9.9.9

GraphQL or JSON batch abuse candidates:

arrays of login mutations

bulk object fetches with varying IDs

repeated password reset or verification calls in one request

4. RATE LIMIT BYPASS FAMILIES

X-Forwarded-For
X-Real-IP
Forwarded
User-Agent rotation
Path case / slash variants

5. NEXT ROUTING

For GraphQL batching and hidden parameters: graphql and hidden parameters

For default credential and brute-force planning: authentication bypass

For full JWT and OAuth depth: jwt oauth token attacks

For OAuth or OIDC configuration flaws in browser and SSO flows: oauth oidc misconfiguration

For credentialed browser reads and origin trust bugs: cors cross origin misconfiguration