OWASP Top 10

OWASP Top 10 is a regularly updated list of the most critical web application security risks, serving as a standard for application security testing.

OWASP Top 10 is the industry standard for web application security vulnerabilities. Updated periodically based on real-world data.

OWASP Top 10 (2021): 1. Broken Access Control: Unauthorized access to data/functions 2. Cryptographic Failures: Weak or missing encryption 3. Injection: SQL, NoSQL, command injection 4. Insecure Design: Flawed architecture/design patterns 5. Security Misconfiguration: Default configs, unnecessary features 6. Vulnerable Components: Outdated libraries with known CVEs 7. Authentication Failures: Broken authentication 8. Software/Data Integrity: Untrusted data without verification 9. Logging/Monitoring Failures: Insufficient audit trails 10. Server-Side Request Forgery: SSRF attacks

Use OWASP Top 10 for: - Developer training - Security requirements - Penetration test scope - Code review checklists

Why It Matters

OWASP Top 10 defines the security baseline for web applications worldwide. Penetration testers use it as their standard scope, developers reference it for secure coding practices, and compliance frameworks reference it for application security requirements. If your application is vulnerable to OWASP Top 10 risks, it will fail security reviews and penetration tests—blocking enterprise sales and exposing customer data.

Key Points

Standard reference for web application security

Broken Access Control is #1 risk (2021)

Updated every 3-4 years based on data

Should inform security testing scope

OWASP also has API and Mobile Top 10

Applicable Compliance Frameworks

SOC 2 ISO 27001 PCI DSS

Related Terms

Penetration Testing

Penetration testing is a simulated cyberattack on your systems performed by security professionals to identify exploitable vulnerabilities.

API Security

API security encompasses practices and technologies used to protect Application Programming Interfaces from attacks and misuse, including authentication, authorization, rate limiting, and input validation.

Vulnerability Assessment

A vulnerability assessment is an automated process of identifying security weaknesses in systems, networks, and applications without actively exploiting them.