The OWASP Top Ten is a regularly updated report outlining the most critical security risks to web applications. It’s widely accepted as a foundational guideline for web application security. The list is not only a guide to understanding and mitigating the most common and severe web application security risks but also serves as a tool for organizations to evaluate the effectiveness of their security measures.
The Top 10 for 2021
A01:2021-Broken Access
A02:2021-Cryptographic Failures
A03:2021-Injection
A04:2021-Insecure Design i
A05:2021-Security Misconfiguration
A06:2021-Vulnerable and Outdated Components
A07:2021-Identification and Authentication Failures
A08:2021-Software and Data Integrity Failures
A09:2021-Security Logging and Monitoring Failures
A10:2021-Server-Side Request Forgery
The OWASP top ten as a standard is primarily an awareness document but it can also be used as a bare minimum and as a starting point for coding or testing standard. The methodology that goes into installing the top ten OWASP is that AppSec researchers will take time to find new vulnerabilities and different ways to test them in an environment. The reason they are put to test is so that way the vulnerabilities can be comes tools and processes. Before there was an installment of the OWASP top ten so it changes periodically and the categories for this top ten is that they should focus on 30 CWE’s that were a prescribed subset.
The OWASP Top 10 lists the ten most critical security risks facing web applications, compiled by the Open Web Application Security Project. The most critical risks are updated regularly. This document is an excellent resource for finding and understanding the risks. The list is updated annually. The OWASP Top 10 is a widely recognized awareness document that helps developers and organizations prioritize web application security efforts and adopt best practices to minimize these risks. The latest version is the OWASP Top 10 2021. Here are the top 10 risks:
– A01:2021 – Broken Access Control
– A02:2021 – Cryptographic Failures
– A03:2021 – Injection
– A04:2021 – Insecure Design
– A05:2021 – Security Misconfiguration
– A06:2021 – Vulnerable and Outdated Components
– A07:2021 – Identification and Authentication Failures
– A08:2021 – Software and Data Integrity Failures
– A09:2021 – Security Logging and Monitoring Failures
– A10:2021 – Server-Side Request Forgery.
Each risk is assigned a unique identifier, such as A01:2021, accompanied by a detailed description, prevention cheat sheets, and related Common Weakness Enumerations (CWEs).
OWASP Top 10 API Security Risks 2023
OWASP- Open Web Application Security Project
API1:2023 – Broken Object Level Authorization: authorization checks for functions that access data using an ID from the user.
API2:2023 – Broken Authentication: incorrect authorization mechanisms allow attackers to compromise the identification process.
API3:2023 – Broken Object Property Level Authorization: lack of improper authorization leads to information exposure or manipulation by authorized parties.
API4:2023 – Unrestricted Resource Consumption: this can lead to successful denial of service attacks or an increase in operational costs on resources such as network bandwidth, CPU, memory or storage.
API5:2023 – Broken Function Level Authorization: complex access control policies can give attackers access leading to successful privilege of escalation.
API6:2023 – Unrestricted Access to Sensitive Business Flows: this vulnerability leads to the normal operation of the web application and can lead to exposure to sensitive business details.
API7:2023 – Server-Side Request Forgery: fetching a resource without validating the user-supplied information enabling an attacker to send a request to an unexpected destination for a false response.
API8:2023 – Security Misconfiguration: lack of secure configuration and practices which can lead to different types of attack.
API9:2023 – Improper Inventory Management: APIs tend to expose more endpoints than other web applications, a proper inventory is important to mitigate issues.
API10:2023 – Unsafe Consumption of APIs: data received from 3rd party APIs have weaker security standards which are known and exploited by attackers and tend to be used more by developers than user input.
Injection: SQL injection, NoSQL injection, XML injection, etc.
Broken Authentication: Issues with authentication mechanisms, such as weak passwords, insecure password recovery, etc.
Sensitive Data Exposure: Exposure of sensitive data through insecure storage, transmission, etc.
XML External Entities (XXE): Exploiting vulnerable XML parsers to access internal or sensitive data.
Broken Access Control: Inadequate access control mechanisms leading to unauthorized access to resources.
Security Misconfiguration: Poorly configured security settings, default configurations, etc.
Cross-Site Scripting (XSS): Injection of malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users.
Insecure Deserialization: Deserialization of untrusted data leading to remote code execution, injection attacks, etc.
Using Components with Known Vulnerabilities: Use of outdated or vulnerable components, libraries, frameworks, etc.
Insufficient Logging & Monitoring: Lack of proper logging and monitoring mechanisms, hindering detection and response to security incidents.
One key takeaway from the OWASP Top 10 2021 is the increased emphasis on using a data-driven approach to select the top risks. The latest edition used a much larger dataset with almost 400 CWEs (Common Weakness Enumerations) to analyze, compared to around 30 CWEs in previous versions. This allows for a more comprehensive and objective view of the most prevalent security risks facing web applications today.
The OWASP Top 10 is a crucial resource in understanding the security risks facing web applications today. This list highlights vulnerabilities that range from injection flaws and broken authentication mechanisms to sensitive data exposure and inadequate access controls. Each vulnerability represents a potential entry point for attackers seeking to exploit weaknesses in web applications, leading to data breaches, unauthorized access, and other security incidents. By addressing these vulnerabilities proactively through secure coding practices, robust authentication mechanisms, and effective access controls, organizations can significantly enhance the security posture of their web applications and mitigate the risk of exploitation.
The OWASP Top Ten is a regularly updated report outlining the most critical security risks to web applications. It’s widely accepted as a foundational guideline for web application security. The list is not only a guide to understanding and mitigating the most common and severe web application security risks but also serves as a tool for organizations to evaluate the effectiveness of their security measures.
The Top 10 for 2021
A01:2021-Broken Access
A02:2021-Cryptographic Failures
A03:2021-Injection
A04:2021-Insecure Design i
A05:2021-Security Misconfiguration
A06:2021-Vulnerable and Outdated Components
A07:2021-Identification and Authentication Failures
A08:2021-Software and Data Integrity Failures
A09:2021-Security Logging and Monitoring Failures
A10:2021-Server-Side Request Forgery
The OWASP top ten as a standard is primarily an awareness document but it can also be used as a bare minimum and as a starting point for coding or testing standard. The methodology that goes into installing the top ten OWASP is that AppSec researchers will take time to find new vulnerabilities and different ways to test them in an environment. The reason they are put to test is so that way the vulnerabilities can be comes tools and processes. Before there was an installment of the OWASP top ten so it changes periodically and the categories for this top ten is that they should focus on 30 CWE’s that were a prescribed subset.
The OWASP Top 10 lists the ten most critical security risks facing web applications, compiled by the Open Web Application Security Project. The most critical risks are updated regularly. This document is an excellent resource for finding and understanding the risks. The list is updated annually. The OWASP Top 10 is a widely recognized awareness document that helps developers and organizations prioritize web application security efforts and adopt best practices to minimize these risks. The latest version is the OWASP Top 10 2021. Here are the top 10 risks:
– A01:2021 – Broken Access Control
– A02:2021 – Cryptographic Failures
– A03:2021 – Injection
– A04:2021 – Insecure Design
– A05:2021 – Security Misconfiguration
– A06:2021 – Vulnerable and Outdated Components
– A07:2021 – Identification and Authentication Failures
– A08:2021 – Software and Data Integrity Failures
– A09:2021 – Security Logging and Monitoring Failures
– A10:2021 – Server-Side Request Forgery.
Each risk is assigned a unique identifier, such as A01:2021, accompanied by a detailed description, prevention cheat sheets, and related Common Weakness Enumerations (CWEs).
OWASP Top 10 API Security Risks 2023
OWASP- Open Web Application Security Project
API1:2023 – Broken Object Level Authorization: authorization checks for functions that access data using an ID from the user.
API2:2023 – Broken Authentication: incorrect authorization mechanisms allow attackers to compromise the identification process.
API3:2023 – Broken Object Property Level Authorization: lack of improper authorization leads to information exposure or manipulation by authorized parties.
API4:2023 – Unrestricted Resource Consumption: this can lead to successful denial of service attacks or an increase in operational costs on resources such as network bandwidth, CPU, memory or storage.
API5:2023 – Broken Function Level Authorization: complex access control policies can give attackers access leading to successful privilege of escalation.
API6:2023 – Unrestricted Access to Sensitive Business Flows: this vulnerability leads to the normal operation of the web application and can lead to exposure to sensitive business details.
API7:2023 – Server-Side Request Forgery: fetching a resource without validating the user-supplied information enabling an attacker to send a request to an unexpected destination for a false response.
API8:2023 – Security Misconfiguration: lack of secure configuration and practices which can lead to different types of attack.
API9:2023 – Improper Inventory Management: APIs tend to expose more endpoints than other web applications, a proper inventory is important to mitigate issues.
API10:2023 – Unsafe Consumption of APIs: data received from 3rd party APIs have weaker security standards which are known and exploited by attackers and tend to be used more by developers than user input.
Injection: SQL injection, NoSQL injection, XML injection, etc.
Broken Authentication: Issues with authentication mechanisms, such as weak passwords, insecure password recovery, etc.
Sensitive Data Exposure: Exposure of sensitive data through insecure storage, transmission, etc.
XML External Entities (XXE): Exploiting vulnerable XML parsers to access internal or sensitive data.
Broken Access Control: Inadequate access control mechanisms leading to unauthorized access to resources.
Security Misconfiguration: Poorly configured security settings, default configurations, etc.
Cross-Site Scripting (XSS): Injection of malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users.
Insecure Deserialization: Deserialization of untrusted data leading to remote code execution, injection attacks, etc.
Using Components with Known Vulnerabilities: Use of outdated or vulnerable components, libraries, frameworks, etc.
Insufficient Logging & Monitoring: Lack of proper logging and monitoring mechanisms, hindering detection and response to security incidents.
One key takeaway from the OWASP Top 10 2021 is the increased emphasis on using a data-driven approach to select the top risks. The latest edition used a much larger dataset with almost 400 CWEs (Common Weakness Enumerations) to analyze, compared to around 30 CWEs in previous versions. This allows for a more comprehensive and objective view of the most prevalent security risks facing web applications today.
The OWASP Top 10 is a crucial resource in understanding the security risks facing web applications today. This list highlights vulnerabilities that range from injection flaws and broken authentication mechanisms to sensitive data exposure and inadequate access controls. Each vulnerability represents a potential entry point for attackers seeking to exploit weaknesses in web applications, leading to data breaches, unauthorized access, and other security incidents. By addressing these vulnerabilities proactively through secure coding practices, robust authentication mechanisms, and effective access controls, organizations can significantly enhance the security posture of their web applications and mitigate the risk of exploitation.