The Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) Top 10 is an essential resource for developers and security professionals, providing a comprehensive and broad consensus of the most common and critical security risks in web applications.
What are OWASP attacks?
These common vulnerabilities, listed in the Top 10 community survey, often go unnoticed, yet they can expose sensitive data, disrupt operations, and undermine trust.
In 2024, the global security community asserts that it’s crucial to understand these vulnerabilities, know how to test for them, and apply effective fixes to build secure applications before deploying.
What is the point of OWASP Top 10?
The OWASP Top 10 list acts as a reference guide document for developers, security professionals, and organizations to help them focus on identifying and addressing critical web application security risks.
The OWASP Top 10 presents a standard awareness documents for organizations to fortify their web applications. However, the ultimate security goal for most modern SaaS businesses happen to be shifting left, that is, to incorporate security check-ins as an integral part of a secure development workflow.
The OWASP Top 10 spans a number of categories including, mobile, API, web apps and even LLMs. They can become overwhelming to navigate and that's why I've broken it down for you in this article, but if necessary you can view them here.
Why follow OWASP?
To truly "shift left" with DevSecOps or to move towards a more focused approach to software security testing, your organization need to increase the application of threat modelling, secure design patterns and principles, and reference architectures.
The OWASP Top 10 helps you do this.
This guide breaks down each OWASP Top 10 vulnerability, offers practical testing methods, and suggests remediation strategies to such application security risks to ensure your software is secure from the outset.
OWASP Top Ten in 2024
1. Broken Access Control (A01:2021)
Description
A01:2021-Broken Access Control, previously referred to as Sensitive Data Exposure, occurs when users gain access to resources they shouldn’t be able to reach. This can happen due to improper enforcement of access restrictions, leading to unauthorized data exposure.
Testing
To test for broken access control, check for access violations using automated tools or manual checks. Ensure that access controls are applied consistently across all endpoints. You can also simulate attacks by attempting to bypass authentication and authorization mechanisms.
Fix
Implement strong access control mechanisms such as Role-Based Access Control (RBAC). Regularly review and update access control policies to reflect changes in user roles. Consider employing application security tools that integrate with your development pipeline to catch these issues early on.
A good way to go about it would be to opt for an automated application security tool that behaves like dev tool, integrates with your CI/CD pipelines and performs scans in the background without interrupting your build flow.
2. Cryptographic Failures (A02:2021)
Description
Cryptographic failures occur when sensitive data is not properly encrypted or protected. Security vulnerabilities of this type can lead to data breaches, with attackers intercepting or altering information as it is transmitted or stored.
Testing
Use security scanning tools to identify weak or missing encryption practices. Test data in transit and at rest to ensure it is encrypted using up-to-date and strong cryptographic algorithms. Regularly review configurations for encryption protocols like HTTPS, TLS, and SSL.
You can use this free express security scanning tool check that you have the appropriate security headers and encryption enabled on your applications.
Fix
Ensure that all sensitive data is encrypted both in transit and at rest. Implement strong, modern cryptographic algorithms and key management practices. Avoid using outdated or weak encryption methods. Regular security reviews should be conducted to maintain compliance with best practices.
3. Injection Attacks (A03:2021)
Description
Injection attacks, such as SQL injection and CSV formula injection attacks, occur when untrusted data is sent to an interpreter as part of a query or command. This can result in unauthorized access to data, corruption, or even total system compromise.
Testing
You can test for such form of injection flaws by deliberately inserting malicious data into inputs that are passed to a query or command interpreter. Automated tools can help detect this risk category by simulating injection attacks and analyzing the responses.
Fix
Sanitize and validate all user inputs. Use parameterized queries and prepared statements to prevent direct injection of malicious data into commands. Security professional also advocate for regular updating and patching of software to mitigate known vulnerabilities.
Automated scanning tools like Cyber Chief can identify SQL injection attack occurrences in applications and offer detailed resolutions on how to patch them quickly.
4. Insecure Design (A04:2021)
Description
A04:2021-Insecure design flaws are introduced during the initial stages of software development. These can include poor architectural choices that leave the application vulnerable to attacks such as injections, cross-site scripting (XSS), and broken authentication.
Testing
Conduct thorough design reviews and threat modelling during the early stages of development. Testing should involve both automated tools and manual code reviews to identify potential design flaws that could lead to security issues.
Fix
Incorporate security best practices into the design phase, such as the principle of least privilege and secure by design principles. Frequently update design patterns to address emerging threats. Employ security testing tools to validate the effectiveness of your design.
5. Security Misconfigurations (A05:2021)
Description
Security misconfigurations occur when systems or applications are not configured securely by default. This can include leaving unnecessary services enabled, using default credentials, or misconfiguring foundational security features like HTTP headers (eg. CSP header, X-Frame-Options security header, HTTP Strict Transport Security header and others).
Testing
Audit your configuration settings regularly to identify any misconfigurations. Use automated configuration management tools or vulnerability assessment tools to enforce secure settings and detect deviations from the established baseline.
Fix
Ensure that all systems are configured according to security best practices from the start. Disable unnecessary features and services, use strong passwords, and enforce secure configuration baselines. Regularly review and update configurations to address new vulnerabilities.
You can automate the process using a tool that not only finds but also fixes A05:2021-Security Misconfigurations, without delaying your release schedule.
A free and quick way to start would be to scan your current websites and web apps using Cyber Chief's free, express vulnerability scanning service.
6. Vulnerable and Outdated Components (A06:2021)
Description
Using vulnerable or outdated components in your software stack can expose your application to security risks. These components often include libraries, frameworks, and other dependencies that are no longer maintained or supported.
A vulnerable component has known security flaws that can be exploited to gain unauthorized access or cause damage. An outdated component is one for which security patches or updates are no longer available from the vendor, making it more susceptible to malicious attacks.
Testing
Use dependency scanning tools to identify vulnerable components in your codebase. Regularly check for updates and patches for all third-party libraries and frameworks you use.
Fix
Replace outdated components with supported versions, and apply security patches as soon as they become available. Consider using tools that automate the process of monitoring and updating dependencies to ensure you’re always using the most secure versions.
7. Identification and Authentication Failures (A07:2021)
Description
Failures in identification and authentication processes can lead to unauthorized access and malicious attacks. This is often due to weak passwords, lack of multi-factor authentication (MFA), or improperly implemented session management.
Testing
Test your authentication mechanisms by simulating attacks such as brute force or credential stuffing. Ensure that MFA is enforced and that session management practices, like timeouts and secure cookies, are properly configured.
Testing for authentication or user access control vulnerabilities is best done as part of a pentesting-as-a-service program because the intelligence of a human ethical hacker is usually required to find such vulnerabilities.
Fix
Implement strong authentication policies, including the use of MFA for all user accounts. Regularly review and update your authentication protocols to mitigate emerging threats. Consider employing advanced authentication technologies to further secure access.
8. Software and Data Integrity Failures (A08:2021)
Description
Software and data integrity failures occur when software or data is tampered with, either maliciously or accidentally. These vulnerabilities occur due to application code and infrastructure that do not adequately safeguard against integrity violations of data and software.
This can lead to unauthorized changes in the application or loss of data integrity.
Testing
To test data integrity failures, use tools that monitor file integrity and detect unauthorized changes in your application code or data. Regularly audit logs and access controls to ensure that only authorized users can make changes.
Fix
Implement cryptographic techniques like digital signatures to verify the integrity of your software and data. Regular backups and version control practices can also help you restore data to a known good state in case of corruption or tampering.
9. Security Logging and Monitoring Failures (A09:2021)
Description
Without proper logging and monitoring, security incidents can go undetected, allowing attackers to remain in the system for extended periods. This can lead to significant damage before the breach is identified and addressed.
This entry, previously referred to as insufficient logging and monitoring, has been elevated from number 10 and now includes more types of failures.
Testing
Review your logging and monitoring configurations to ensure all critical events are captured. Test your incident detection and response processes to verify that they work effectively in real-time scenarios.
Fix
Implement comprehensive logging and monitoring practices across your entire application and infrastructure. Use centralized logging solutions and regularly review logs for signs of suspicious activity. Ensure that alerts are configured to notify the relevant teams immediately when issues arise.
Automated application security tools that are built for software teams, like Cyber Chief, automatically send you alerts when such vulnerabilities are found.
Because Cyber Chief is built for software teams, not security experts, it works like your favourite dev tools and helps to keep your AppSec workflows within your favourite ticketing tool like Jira or a communication tool like Slack.
10. Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) (A10:2021)
Description
A new category of vulnerability in 2024, a server-side request forgery (SSRF) occurs when an attacker tricks a server into making unauthorized requests to fetch remote resources, potentially leading to data exfiltration or unauthorized access to internal systems.
These exploits enable an attacker to manipulate the application into sending a specially designed request to an undesired location, even when it is secured by a firewall, VPN, or any other form of network access control list.
Testing
To test for Server-side request forgery (SSRF) vulnerabilities, simulate requests that exploit the application’s ability to interact with external resources. Automated tools can help detect SSRF by analysing how the application handles external requests.
Fix
Implement input validation and output sanitization to prevent attackers from controlling the server’s request destinations. Consider using a whitelist of approved URLs that the application can interact with, and monitor server logs for any unusual request patterns.
The Problem with the OWASP Top 10...
...is that people think that's all there is to do, but...
By understanding and addressing these vulnerabilities proactively, you can significantly reduce the risk of security incidents in your applications.
Incorporating robust security practices into your development process ensures that your software is not only functional but also secure from the ground up.
A twice-yearly manual web app penetration test, can help you scan applications for most of these vulnerabilities. But in most cases, there are no solutions or fixes offered by your pen test vendors.
Is OWASP Top 10 enough?
OWASP Top 10 might not be all you do for your application security, but it is definitely the perfect starting point.
If you want further details on how to tackle OWASP Top 10 check out our guide on how to conduct software security reviews if you're not an infosec expert.
Otherwise, if you're ready for a solution that helps you find and fix your OWASP Top 10 security gaps across your web apps, APIs and cloud infrastructure then Cyber Chief might be a fit for you. See Cyber Chief in action.
To get started on your AppSec journey and ultimately shift left so that you can be in charge of your destiny, download our AppSec Cheat Sheet.
Is OWASP only for web applications?
OWASP also offers a list of the Top 10 API Security Risks to raise awareness about typical API security vulnerabilities, catering to individuals involved in API development and maintenance.
