OWASP Top 10

The OWASP Top 10 is a globally recognized, standard awareness document for developers and web application security professionals. It is a list of the 10 most critical security risks affecting web applications, compiled by a community of experts from around the world. The list is updated every few years to reflect the latest changes in the threat landscape. The purpose of the OWASP Top 10 is not to be a comprehensive list of all possible vulnerabilities, but rather to raise awareness of the most common and most impactful ones, helping organizations prioritize their security efforts. Some of the perennial risks that appear on the list include: Injection flaws, such as SQL, NoSQL, OS, and LDAP injection, which occur when untrusted data is sent to an interpreter as part of a command or query. Broken Authentication, where authentication and session management functions are often implemented incorrectly, allowing attackers to compromise passwords, keys, or session tokens. Sensitive Data Exposure, which happens when applications fail to adequately protect sensitive data like financial information or PII, both in transit and at rest. Cross-Site Scripting (XSS), where attackers can execute scripts in the victim’s browser which can hijack user sessions, deface web sites, or redirect the user to malicious sites. By understanding and addressing the vulnerabilities on the OWASP Top 10 list, developers can significantly improve the security posture of their applications and protect their users from these widespread threats.