The OWASP Top 10 outlines the top 10 vulnerabilities to look out for and also gives a general overview for creating application security programs that are robust and able to tackle the commonly identified challenges in their industries. OWASP describes best practices when creating these AppSec systems and specifically recommends using the “paved road” mindset when implementing AppSec programs, that is to say making the system as easy to use and secure as possible, which, as noted by OWASP, involves a lot of conversation between development and security teams. The top 10 itself lists the general list of top 10 vulnerabilities to look out for, which I found interesting, because OWASP specifically states that while these are commonly identified, they often can not be easily tested, as they represent abstract issues that can’t be placed in a test environment such as those related to human error etc.. This creates an interesting challenge for us as IT professionals that I am curious to see how we can work around
The OWASP top 10 truly is a great resource for spotting common vulnerabilities and laying down a framework for which to build strong security programs. The notion of a “paved road” mindset really emphasizes the importance of seamlessly integrating security measures into the development process making systems security but not hindering usability. It interesting to note how important human error is in presenting a vulnerability that can’t be easily tested with how unpredictable it can be. What strategies do you think we could implement to address abstract challenges like this to ensure our security measures are comprehensive and effective?
OWASP top 10 article
A lot of the information in this article is new too but one that stood out is access control. Reason being it is a topic that we have covered this semester. What access control does is that it enforces a policy that users cannot act outside of their interested position or permissions. As soon as I read that I remembered separation of duty and knew that these go hand in hand. If someone accesses something they are not supposed to, then that could lead to unauthorized information disclosure, modification and destruction of data performing a business function outside the users’ limits. This reminds me of a conversation we had in MIS 5203 as one of my classmates was explaining how her company caught a contractor, they hired to do audit work for getting caught (actually they were set up by the hiring company) accessing files and certain parts of the network that they were not supposed to. The thing is I believe they were auditing the network so access control was not as strict and you would think that a 3rd party audit team would access private information on a client’s network but like we have gone over before, a lot of time the cybercrime is done from within or by a 3rd party. This goes to show that access control, even when you are using a 3rd party to help your network, is imperative to keeping your network safe. In my current role our environment is locked down tight as we do not have access to much internal network information, but we do have access to PII information and are routinely audited to see what we have accessed and why we have accessed it. Keep in mind though as access control is only effective in trusted server-side code where the attacker cannot modify the access control check or metadata.
The OWASP Top 10 is a globally recognized, authoritative guide that outlines the most critical security risks to web applications. Developed by the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP), this document serves as a vital resource for organizations striving to enhance their online security posture. The significance of the OWASP Top 10 extends beyond its educational value; it provides a benchmark for application security, enabling organizations to identify and mitigate potential vulnerabilities effectively. Furthermore, it facilitates the development of robust, secure software, thereby reducing the risk of cyber threats. In essence, the OWASP is not just a guide, but a strategic tool that empowers businesses to protect their digital assets and foster trust among their clientele. Its importance in today’s digital landscape cannot be overstated, making it an indispensable resource for any organization operating in the online sphere.
Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving software security.OWASP 10 is an awareness document comprised of the top 10 most critical security threats to web applications. The first article OWASP Top 10 talks about the OWASP 10 2021 list and outlines the changes between the old version of the document and the new one, the article also talks about how the OWASP 10 is developed. This process involves the evaluation of data from various sources, with categories selected based on their likelihood and the technical impact. Eight out of ten categories were selected from the data with two from the community survey.
In the article ‘How to use the OWASP Top 10 as a standard’ the author emphasizes that organizations should use this standard as an awareness document, starting point, or/ the bare minimum and not as a comprehensive application security checklist instead Organizations should use OWASP Application Security Verification Standard as their application security standard.
Organizations can leverage Owasp 10 to develop a robust application security program within their organizations. First, organizations must identify weaknesses and areas for improvement in their AppSec program using the OWASP Software Assurance Maturity Model (SAMM). Secondly, they should include security in the development process to foster collaboration between the security and development team, this will help identify vulnerabilities early in the development process. After implementing a secure software development lifecycle and creating a security caution culture next is to migrate all the existing and upcoming applications to ensure they reflect on the current plan to mitigate any vulnerability and prevent any future attacks. Organizations should continuously evaluate their applications and look for areas of improvement to develop a mature AppSec program that goes beyond the minimum requirements.
I completely agree with you that it is not just a checklist, but rather an essential starting point for establishing a strong application security program. Your mention of the OWASP Software Assurance Maturity Model (SAMM) is very helpful as it can help identify areas for improvement.
In addition to what you’ve said, another approach that can contribute to better security is integrating security awareness training for developers. This can enable them to write more secure code from the very beginning. By adopting a collaborative approach and continuously evaluating the security measures, we can build a robust AppSec program that not only covers the OWASP Top 10 but also adapts to any emerging threats.
The OWASP Top 10 is a list that outlines the most critical security risks to web applications, as identified by the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP). The 2021 edition includes:
A01:2021-Broken Access Control: This risk has moved up to the top position and involves failures in restricting what authenticated users are allowed to do.
A02:2021-Cryptographic Failures: Previously known as Sensitive Data Exposure, this focuses on errors in cryptography that lead to sensitive data exposure or system compromise.
A03:2021-Injection: This includes various forms of injection, such as SQL, NoSQL, and Cross-Site Scripting (XSS), where untrusted data sent to an interpreter can lead to data loss or corruption, lack of accountability, or denial of access.
A04:2021-Insecure Design: A new category focusing on risks related to design flaws and the need for threat modeling, secure design patterns and principles, and reference architectures.
A05:2021-Security Misconfiguration: This risk has moved up due to the high number of applications tested for some form of misconfiguration.
A06:2021-Vulnerable and Outdated Components: This category highlights the risk of using components with known vulnerabilities.
Thank you for sharing the latest OWASP Top 10 list and summarizing its key points. It’s evident that understanding and addressing these security risks are crucial for developing and maintaining secure web applications.
I’m particularly interested in learning more about how organizations prioritize addressing these risks within their development and deployment processes, What strategies have been effective in ensuring that security considerations are integrated seamlessly into the software development lifecycle, especially concerning addressing vulnerabilities related to cryptographic failures, injection attacks, and insecure design?
The OWASP Top 10 is a widely respected list that outlines the most critical security risks to web applications, aimed at helping organizations enhance their security posture. Updated periodically, it is compiled through a combination of data analysis and community feedback. Most recently noteworthy changes include Broken Access Control moving to the top position due to its prevalence in web applications, a renaming of Sensitive Data Exposure to Cryptographic Failures to highlight the importance of cryptography in security, and the introduction of new categories like Insecure Design, Software and Data Integrity Failures, and Server-Side Request Forgery, underscoring evolving security concerns. The list includes categories like injection flaws, broken authentication, sensitive data exposure, and misconfigurations, among others. Each category is backed by data showing its prevalence and impact, providing a clear picture of the threats facing web applications today. The OWASP Top 10 serves as a guideline for developers, security professionals, and organizations to prioritize and address vulnerabilities, encouraging the adoption of secure coding practices and security frameworks to mitigate these risks effectively.
Your summary of the page is well done, Although not directly providing methods for developers to secure their web applications, the page presents the current, most-pressing issues that developers should focus on when securing their web applications.
While reading I understand is the awareness document primarily, but organizations have used it as the industry standard since 2003. OWASP does warn that using this document is the bare minimum and just a starting point. Since this is my first time exploring this document, I immediately went to the how to use section. This section provides insight on how to appropriately use the OWASP Top 10 for application security. You are also encouraged to use the accompanying document, OWASP Application Security Verification Standard (ASVS) which aides in secure development lifecycle. Again, OWASP warns that the tools cannot protect against the OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities due to the risk, so OWASP understands that any claims to providing full coverage is not possible.
Hello Erskine, I think it’s great that they made sure to establish that the document shouldn’t be the end-all-be-all. I do think though that the nature of the document is set up in a way that someone reading it could assume that the document is the only thing that needs to be read. Maybe they could have changed how they showed the top 10 vulnerabilities.For example, they could have compiled a complete list of the most known vulnerabilities,and have it set up in percentages. This way, it can provide the full scope of potential threats. nonetheless, there are still benefits to having a list like this as it is a great starting point for a company that is in the process of improving their IT security, or even someone who is a student and is learning the most common type of vulnerabilities.
The OWASP Top 10 is a regularly updated list identifying the most critical security risks for web applications. These risks include unauthorized access to sensitive data (broken access control) and application design weaknesses (insecure design). By understanding these common threats, developers and organizations can strengthen their applications with secure coding practices, proper user authentication, and vigilant monitoring. This helps prevent various types of attacks, from data breaches to website disruptions.
Very good description Kelly. This form was interesting, especially the extra context it sheds on the testing elements. Identifying that these threats are evolving and also difficult to identify and fully test presents an interesting security challenge for us as IT professionals and made me think about things a little differently
Integrating security into the development process from the design phase is indeed crucial, and it’s encouraging to see many organizations adapting to this approach. This will not only promote collaboration between developers and security teams but also improve the overall security posture of applications Overall this article was very insightful as it explained the behind-the-scenes process of selecting the top 10 list
On point as usual Kelly. The number of items that the OWASP Top 10 covers a multitude of web application risk that are key to maintaining web app security. The fact that it is not an “official” document surprised me because it is so widely used.
Vulnerable and outdated components are one of the OWASP’s top ten categories. According to the article, vulnerable and outdated ranked ninth in 2017 and rose to seventh in 2021. Organizations around the world struggle to test and quantify risk. Without patching, the data is at risk. The organization’s system is more vulnerable and prone to ransomware attacks and data leaks. This also increases the risk of fraudsters gaining access to the rest of the company’s systems.
The OWASP Top 10 for 2021 reveals the top web application security risks. Broken Access Control is the top risk, with over 318k Common Weakness Enumerations (CWEs) mapped to this category. Cryptographic Failures are second, highlighting vulnerabilities related to cryptography, leading to sensitive data exposure or system compromise. Injection remains a prevalent threat, with 94% of applications tested for some form of injection. Insecure Design is introduced as a new category, and security misconfiguration rises due to the increased use of highly configurable software. Identification and Authentication Failures remain integral, along with new categories like Software and Data Integrity Failures and Security Logging and Monitoring Failures.
Insecure Design is a new concern, and misconfigurations are on the rise. Identification and Authentication, along with Integrity and Logging failures, are crucial areas. Overall, the report underscores ongoing challenges in securing web applications against diverse and evolving threats.
While there is much complexity and calculation behind cyberattacks, a lot of them exploit known vulnerabilities. This is where OWASP top 10 comes in. This is a list of the top 10 known vulnerabilities for websites or applications. The list ranges from reasons such as: broken access control, all the way to software and data integrity failures. I could see a list like this be both beneficial and harmful. For example, this benefits companies because it tells them a list of basic vulnerabilities can patch. It’s also harmful because now hackers have an easy list to consult when looking for ways to penetrate a system. This boils down to how strict a company is with being updated on patches and educating it’s employees, as it equally boils down to how determined an attacker is on wanting to access a system.
OWASP Top 10 details the most critical web application risks. The OWASP Top Ten guides developers, security experts, and organizations on common vulnerabilities that can compromise the security of the systems. The guideline can be used by organizations to secure applications which will make it difficult for attackers to access the applications.
The OWASP top 10 is a regularly updated list of the most critical security risks encountered on the web, the list highlights common vulnerabilities that attackers will frequently exploit in order to gain access to systems. It covers everything and anything that applications face, some examples are injection attacks, broken authentication, sensitive data exposure, broken access control, security misconfigurations, and
XSS as some examples. Organizations should adhere to the OWASP top 10 recommendations as they help them strengthen their defenses against prevalent attacks and secure their web applications.
I agree that organizations should somewhat adhere to the recommendations provided by the OWASP Top 10 page to better secure their web applications. However, the page does say that the list is not all-inclusive nor does it provide an actual means of standardization for organizations. Ultimately, they do offer their Application Security Verification Standard to actually verify and test web applications and ensure secure development throughout the SDLC.
Hi Alex,
I agree with you that organizations should adopt OWASP 10 to secure the network. Adhering to the recommendations of OWASP 10 helps to mitigate the risk of cyber-attacks, data breaches, and unauthorized access.
The OWASP Top 10 (of 2021) is an infographic page that brings awareness to the most important issues affecting web application security. It is purely an awareness document and serves minimal purpose in actually outlining a standard for organizations to follow, although it offers some assistance in use cases to follow the top 10 as standard. The top 10 issues are as followed:
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 (previously A10:2017-Insufficient Logging & Monitoring)
A10:2021-Server-Side Request Forgery
It’s interesting to see that the number one most serious web application security risk is broken access control with, on average, 3.81% of applications tested having a Common Weakness Enumeration. This type of risk includes violations of least privilege, bypassing controls through URL changes, viewing other’s accounts indirectly, API access without controls, elevation of privilege, and more.
Andrew Young says
The OWASP Top 10 outlines the top 10 vulnerabilities to look out for and also gives a general overview for creating application security programs that are robust and able to tackle the commonly identified challenges in their industries. OWASP describes best practices when creating these AppSec systems and specifically recommends using the “paved road” mindset when implementing AppSec programs, that is to say making the system as easy to use and secure as possible, which, as noted by OWASP, involves a lot of conversation between development and security teams. The top 10 itself lists the general list of top 10 vulnerabilities to look out for, which I found interesting, because OWASP specifically states that while these are commonly identified, they often can not be easily tested, as they represent abstract issues that can’t be placed in a test environment such as those related to human error etc.. This creates an interesting challenge for us as IT professionals that I am curious to see how we can work around
Alex Ruiz says
The OWASP top 10 truly is a great resource for spotting common vulnerabilities and laying down a framework for which to build strong security programs. The notion of a “paved road” mindset really emphasizes the importance of seamlessly integrating security measures into the development process making systems security but not hindering usability. It interesting to note how important human error is in presenting a vulnerability that can’t be easily tested with how unpredictable it can be. What strategies do you think we could implement to address abstract challenges like this to ensure our security measures are comprehensive and effective?
Jeffrey Sullivan says
OWASP top 10 article
A lot of the information in this article is new too but one that stood out is access control. Reason being it is a topic that we have covered this semester. What access control does is that it enforces a policy that users cannot act outside of their interested position or permissions. As soon as I read that I remembered separation of duty and knew that these go hand in hand. If someone accesses something they are not supposed to, then that could lead to unauthorized information disclosure, modification and destruction of data performing a business function outside the users’ limits. This reminds me of a conversation we had in MIS 5203 as one of my classmates was explaining how her company caught a contractor, they hired to do audit work for getting caught (actually they were set up by the hiring company) accessing files and certain parts of the network that they were not supposed to. The thing is I believe they were auditing the network so access control was not as strict and you would think that a 3rd party audit team would access private information on a client’s network but like we have gone over before, a lot of time the cybercrime is done from within or by a 3rd party. This goes to show that access control, even when you are using a 3rd party to help your network, is imperative to keeping your network safe. In my current role our environment is locked down tight as we do not have access to much internal network information, but we do have access to PII information and are routinely audited to see what we have accessed and why we have accessed it. Keep in mind though as access control is only effective in trusted server-side code where the attacker cannot modify the access control check or metadata.
Ikenna Alajemba says
The OWASP Top 10 is a globally recognized, authoritative guide that outlines the most critical security risks to web applications. Developed by the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP), this document serves as a vital resource for organizations striving to enhance their online security posture. The significance of the OWASP Top 10 extends beyond its educational value; it provides a benchmark for application security, enabling organizations to identify and mitigate potential vulnerabilities effectively. Furthermore, it facilitates the development of robust, secure software, thereby reducing the risk of cyber threats. In essence, the OWASP is not just a guide, but a strategic tool that empowers businesses to protect their digital assets and foster trust among their clientele. Its importance in today’s digital landscape cannot be overstated, making it an indispensable resource for any organization operating in the online sphere.
Mariam Hazali says
Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving software security.OWASP 10 is an awareness document comprised of the top 10 most critical security threats to web applications. The first article OWASP Top 10 talks about the OWASP 10 2021 list and outlines the changes between the old version of the document and the new one, the article also talks about how the OWASP 10 is developed. This process involves the evaluation of data from various sources, with categories selected based on their likelihood and the technical impact. Eight out of ten categories were selected from the data with two from the community survey.
In the article ‘How to use the OWASP Top 10 as a standard’ the author emphasizes that organizations should use this standard as an awareness document, starting point, or/ the bare minimum and not as a comprehensive application security checklist instead Organizations should use OWASP Application Security Verification Standard as their application security standard.
Organizations can leverage Owasp 10 to develop a robust application security program within their organizations. First, organizations must identify weaknesses and areas for improvement in their AppSec program using the OWASP Software Assurance Maturity Model (SAMM). Secondly, they should include security in the development process to foster collaboration between the security and development team, this will help identify vulnerabilities early in the development process. After implementing a secure software development lifecycle and creating a security caution culture next is to migrate all the existing and upcoming applications to ensure they reflect on the current plan to mitigate any vulnerability and prevent any future attacks. Organizations should continuously evaluate their applications and look for areas of improvement to develop a mature AppSec program that goes beyond the minimum requirements.
Kelly Conger says
I completely agree with you that it is not just a checklist, but rather an essential starting point for establishing a strong application security program. Your mention of the OWASP Software Assurance Maturity Model (SAMM) is very helpful as it can help identify areas for improvement.
In addition to what you’ve said, another approach that can contribute to better security is integrating security awareness training for developers. This can enable them to write more secure code from the very beginning. By adopting a collaborative approach and continuously evaluating the security measures, we can build a robust AppSec program that not only covers the OWASP Top 10 but also adapts to any emerging threats.
Michael Obiukwu says
The OWASP Top 10 is a list that outlines the most critical security risks to web applications, as identified by the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP). The 2021 edition includes:
A01:2021-Broken Access Control: This risk has moved up to the top position and involves failures in restricting what authenticated users are allowed to do.
A02:2021-Cryptographic Failures: Previously known as Sensitive Data Exposure, this focuses on errors in cryptography that lead to sensitive data exposure or system compromise.
A03:2021-Injection: This includes various forms of injection, such as SQL, NoSQL, and Cross-Site Scripting (XSS), where untrusted data sent to an interpreter can lead to data loss or corruption, lack of accountability, or denial of access.
A04:2021-Insecure Design: A new category focusing on risks related to design flaws and the need for threat modeling, secure design patterns and principles, and reference architectures.
A05:2021-Security Misconfiguration: This risk has moved up due to the high number of applications tested for some form of misconfiguration.
A06:2021-Vulnerable and Outdated Components: This category highlights the risk of using components with known vulnerabilities.
Samuel Omotosho says
Hi Michael,
Thank you for sharing the latest OWASP Top 10 list and summarizing its key points. It’s evident that understanding and addressing these security risks are crucial for developing and maintaining secure web applications.
I’m particularly interested in learning more about how organizations prioritize addressing these risks within their development and deployment processes, What strategies have been effective in ensuring that security considerations are integrated seamlessly into the software development lifecycle, especially concerning addressing vulnerabilities related to cryptographic failures, injection attacks, and insecure design?
Nicholas Nirenberg says
The OWASP Top 10 is a widely respected list that outlines the most critical security risks to web applications, aimed at helping organizations enhance their security posture. Updated periodically, it is compiled through a combination of data analysis and community feedback. Most recently noteworthy changes include Broken Access Control moving to the top position due to its prevalence in web applications, a renaming of Sensitive Data Exposure to Cryptographic Failures to highlight the importance of cryptography in security, and the introduction of new categories like Insecure Design, Software and Data Integrity Failures, and Server-Side Request Forgery, underscoring evolving security concerns. The list includes categories like injection flaws, broken authentication, sensitive data exposure, and misconfigurations, among others. Each category is backed by data showing its prevalence and impact, providing a clear picture of the threats facing web applications today. The OWASP Top 10 serves as a guideline for developers, security professionals, and organizations to prioritize and address vulnerabilities, encouraging the adoption of secure coding practices and security frameworks to mitigate these risks effectively.
Kenneth Saltisky says
Hi Nicholas,
Your summary of the page is well done, Although not directly providing methods for developers to secure their web applications, the page presents the current, most-pressing issues that developers should focus on when securing their web applications.
Erskine Payton says
While reading I understand is the awareness document primarily, but organizations have used it as the industry standard since 2003. OWASP does warn that using this document is the bare minimum and just a starting point. Since this is my first time exploring this document, I immediately went to the how to use section. This section provides insight on how to appropriately use the OWASP Top 10 for application security. You are also encouraged to use the accompanying document, OWASP Application Security Verification Standard (ASVS) which aides in secure development lifecycle. Again, OWASP warns that the tools cannot protect against the OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities due to the risk, so OWASP understands that any claims to providing full coverage is not possible.
Hashem Alsharif says
Hello Erskine, I think it’s great that they made sure to establish that the document shouldn’t be the end-all-be-all. I do think though that the nature of the document is set up in a way that someone reading it could assume that the document is the only thing that needs to be read. Maybe they could have changed how they showed the top 10 vulnerabilities.For example, they could have compiled a complete list of the most known vulnerabilities,and have it set up in percentages. This way, it can provide the full scope of potential threats. nonetheless, there are still benefits to having a list like this as it is a great starting point for a company that is in the process of improving their IT security, or even someone who is a student and is learning the most common type of vulnerabilities.
Kelly Conger says
The OWASP Top 10 is a regularly updated list identifying the most critical security risks for web applications. These risks include unauthorized access to sensitive data (broken access control) and application design weaknesses (insecure design). By understanding these common threats, developers and organizations can strengthen their applications with secure coding practices, proper user authentication, and vigilant monitoring. This helps prevent various types of attacks, from data breaches to website disruptions.
Andrew Young says
Very good description Kelly. This form was interesting, especially the extra context it sheds on the testing elements. Identifying that these threats are evolving and also difficult to identify and fully test presents an interesting security challenge for us as IT professionals and made me think about things a little differently
Mariam Hazali says
Integrating security into the development process from the design phase is indeed crucial, and it’s encouraging to see many organizations adapting to this approach. This will not only promote collaboration between developers and security teams but also improve the overall security posture of applications Overall this article was very insightful as it explained the behind-the-scenes process of selecting the top 10 list
Erskine Payton says
On point as usual Kelly. The number of items that the OWASP Top 10 covers a multitude of web application risk that are key to maintaining web app security. The fact that it is not an “official” document surprised me because it is so widely used.
Samuel Omotosho says
Vulnerable and outdated components are one of the OWASP’s top ten categories. According to the article, vulnerable and outdated ranked ninth in 2017 and rose to seventh in 2021. Organizations around the world struggle to test and quantify risk. Without patching, the data is at risk. The organization’s system is more vulnerable and prone to ransomware attacks and data leaks. This also increases the risk of fraudsters gaining access to the rest of the company’s systems.
Chidi Okafor says
The OWASP Top 10 for 2021 reveals the top web application security risks. Broken Access Control is the top risk, with over 318k Common Weakness Enumerations (CWEs) mapped to this category. Cryptographic Failures are second, highlighting vulnerabilities related to cryptography, leading to sensitive data exposure or system compromise. Injection remains a prevalent threat, with 94% of applications tested for some form of injection. Insecure Design is introduced as a new category, and security misconfiguration rises due to the increased use of highly configurable software. Identification and Authentication Failures remain integral, along with new categories like Software and Data Integrity Failures and Security Logging and Monitoring Failures.
Ikenna Alajemba says
Insecure Design is a new concern, and misconfigurations are on the rise. Identification and Authentication, along with Integrity and Logging failures, are crucial areas. Overall, the report underscores ongoing challenges in securing web applications against diverse and evolving threats.
Hashem Alsharif says
While there is much complexity and calculation behind cyberattacks, a lot of them exploit known vulnerabilities. This is where OWASP top 10 comes in. This is a list of the top 10 known vulnerabilities for websites or applications. The list ranges from reasons such as: broken access control, all the way to software and data integrity failures. I could see a list like this be both beneficial and harmful. For example, this benefits companies because it tells them a list of basic vulnerabilities can patch. It’s also harmful because now hackers have an easy list to consult when looking for ways to penetrate a system. This boils down to how strict a company is with being updated on patches and educating it’s employees, as it equally boils down to how determined an attacker is on wanting to access a system.
Akintunde Akinmusire says
OWASP Top 10 details the most critical web application risks. The OWASP Top Ten guides developers, security experts, and organizations on common vulnerabilities that can compromise the security of the systems. The guideline can be used by organizations to secure applications which will make it difficult for attackers to access the applications.
Alex Ruiz says
The OWASP top 10 is a regularly updated list of the most critical security risks encountered on the web, the list highlights common vulnerabilities that attackers will frequently exploit in order to gain access to systems. It covers everything and anything that applications face, some examples are injection attacks, broken authentication, sensitive data exposure, broken access control, security misconfigurations, and
XSS as some examples. Organizations should adhere to the OWASP top 10 recommendations as they help them strengthen their defenses against prevalent attacks and secure their web applications.
Kenneth Saltisky says
Hi Alex,
I agree that organizations should somewhat adhere to the recommendations provided by the OWASP Top 10 page to better secure their web applications. However, the page does say that the list is not all-inclusive nor does it provide an actual means of standardization for organizations. Ultimately, they do offer their Application Security Verification Standard to actually verify and test web applications and ensure secure development throughout the SDLC.
Akintunde Akinmusire says
Hi Alex,
I agree with you that organizations should adopt OWASP 10 to secure the network. Adhering to the recommendations of OWASP 10 helps to mitigate the risk of cyber-attacks, data breaches, and unauthorized access.
Kenneth Saltisky says
The OWASP Top 10 (of 2021) is an infographic page that brings awareness to the most important issues affecting web application security. It is purely an awareness document and serves minimal purpose in actually outlining a standard for organizations to follow, although it offers some assistance in use cases to follow the top 10 as standard. The top 10 issues are as followed:
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 (previously A10:2017-Insufficient Logging & Monitoring)
A10:2021-Server-Side Request Forgery
It’s interesting to see that the number one most serious web application security risk is broken access control with, on average, 3.81% of applications tested having a Common Weakness Enumeration. This type of risk includes violations of least privilege, bypassing controls through URL changes, viewing other’s accounts indirectly, API access without controls, elevation of privilege, and more.