OWASP Top 10
The OWASP Top 10 is the most widely recognized list of web application security risks. It is updated periodically by the Open Worldwide Application Security Project (OWASP) based on data from security incidents and research.
Table of Contents
What is OWASP Top 10?
First published in 2003, the OWASP Top 10 highlights the most critical security risks in web applications. It is widely used by developers, auditors, and security teams as a baseline for secure coding and application security testing.
The current version (2021) reflects modern threats, such as insecure design and software supply chain risks, in addition to classic injection flaws.
Scope and applicability
The OWASP Top 10 applies to:
- Web application developers who must understand secure coding principles.
- Application security teams performing code reviews and penetration tests.
- SecOps teams responsible for monitoring attacks against web applications in production.
- Organizations subject to compliance frameworks referencing OWASP, such as PCI DSS.
Its use is global, across industries from finance to healthcare to SaaS.
Key requirements
The OWASP Top 10 (2021 edition) includes:
- Broken access control
- Cryptographic failures
- Injection
- Insecure design
- Security misconfiguration
- Vulnerable and outdated components
- Identification and authentication failures
- Software and data integrity failures
- Security logging and monitoring failures
- Server-side request forgery (SSRF)
While not legally enforced, many organizations treat addressing these risks as mandatory, especially in regulated industries.
Impact on SecOps
For SecOps teams, OWASP Top 10 risks often appear in real-world incidents:
- Detection: SOCs must monitor logs for signs of injection attempts, authentication failures, or exploitation of vulnerable components.
- Incident response: application-layer attacks can be subtle and require close coordination between SOCs and AppSec teams.
- Collaboration: SecOps must work with developers to close vulnerabilities identified in production monitoring.
- Compliance alignment: PCI DSS and other standards often reference OWASP Top 10 as a benchmark for secure application practices.
The Top 10 bridges the gap between development and operations, making it central to modern SecOps practices.
Further reading
- OWASP: Official Top 10 project. Read more
- SANS: Application security guidance. Read more
- CISA: Web application security best practices. Read more
- NIST: Secure coding principles. Read more