Performing GraphQL Security Assessment
When to Use
- During authorized penetration tests when the target application uses a GraphQL API
- When assessing single-page applications (React, Vue, Angular) that communicate via GraphQL
- For evaluating mobile app backends that expose GraphQL endpoints
- When testing microservice architectures with a GraphQL gateway or federation
- During bug bounty programs targeting GraphQL-based APIs
Prerequisites
- Authorization: Written penetration testing agreement for the target
- Burp Suite Professional: With InQL extension for GraphQL scanning
- GraphQL Voyager: Schema visualization tool
- InQL Scanner: Burp extension for GraphQL introspection and query generation
- Altair GraphQL Client: Desktop GraphQL client for interactive testing
- clairvoyance: GraphQL schema enumeration when introspection is disabled
- curl: For manual GraphQL query submission
Workflow
Step 1: Discover and Fingerprint GraphQL Endpoints
Locate GraphQL endpoints and confirm GraphQL is running.
# Common GraphQL endpoint paths
for path in graphql graphiql playground query gql api/graphql \
v1/graphql v2/graphql graphq…