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Interview question · Application & API Security

A gift card can be redeemed twice if two requests arrive at the same moment. Explain the bug class and fix it properly.

Every check passed and every write succeeded. The money still left twice, because the check and the write were two steps and another request got between them.

hardEssentialNewPreparation tags: Amazon, Microsoft, SalesforceUpdated Nov 2026

Every check passed and every write succeeded. The money still left twice, because the check and the write were two steps and another request got between them.

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  1. 01 State the assumptions your answer depends on.
  2. 02 Explain the mechanism and choose a control.
  3. 03 Name a condition that would change your decision.

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What if · the follow-ups in this answer

The answer works through 6 follow-ups like an interviewer would

A promo code can be used once per account, and testers redeem it five times by sending requests in parallel.

  1. What kind of bug is this?
  2. How do attackers make the window easy to hit?
  3. Where else does this pattern appear?
  4. How do you fix it?
  5. How would you test for races?
  6. How would you fix and prevent this?

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