What is OWASP?
The Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) maintains the industry-standard list of the top 10 most critical web application security risks. Every development team should understand and address these vulnerabilities.
Top 10 Risks (2025 Edition)
- Broken Access Control: Users acting beyond their intended permissions. Fix: implement role-based access control and server-side validation.
- Cryptographic Failures: Sensitive data exposed due to weak encryption. Fix: use TLS 1.3, encrypt data at rest, never store plaintext passwords.
- Injection: SQL, NoSQL, OS command injection. Fix: use parameterized queries, input validation, and ORM frameworks.
- Insecure Design: Security not considered during design phase. Fix: threat modeling during architecture phase.
- Security Misconfiguration: Default credentials, unnecessary features enabled. Fix: hardening checklists, automated configuration scanning.
Practical Steps
Run automated SAST (Static Application Security Testing) and DAST (Dynamic Application Security Testing) in your CI/CD pipeline. Use tools like OWASP ZAP, SonarQube, and Snyk. Conduct annual penetration testing.