The OWASP Top 10 is a widely recognized list of the most critical security risks facing web applications. Published by the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP), this list is updated periodically to reflect evolving threats. The 2021 edition identifies the following top vulnerabilities:
- A01: Broken Access Control – Failures in restrictions on what authenticated users are allowed to do.
- A02: Cryptographic Failures – Weak or missing encryption for sensitive data.
- A03: Injection – SQL, NoSQL, OS, and LDAP injection flaws.
- A04: Insecure Design – Missing or ineffective security controls in design.
- A05: Security Misconfiguration – Unnecessary features enabled, default accounts, or improper permissions.
- A06: Vulnerable and Outdated Components – Using libraries or frameworks with known vulnerabilities.
- A07: Identification and Authentication Failures – Weak password policies or session management.
- A08: Software and Data Integrity Failures – Lack of integrity checks for software updates or CI/CD pipelines.
- A09: Security Logging and Monitoring Failures – Insufficient logging to detect breaches.
- A10: Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) – Attacks that trick a server into making unauthorized requests.
Understanding these risks is crucial for developers, security professionals, and organizations aiming to build secure web applications.