Overview

The OWASP Top 10 is a widely used awareness document describing the major security risks affecting web applications.

Key concepts

  • Broken access control, cryptographic failures, injection
  • Insecure design, misconfiguration, vulnerable components
  • Auth failures, integrity failures, logging failures, SSRF

How it works

The OWASP Top 10 is a widely used awareness document describing the major security risks affecting web applications — the standard reference point for nearly every other topic in this section.

RiskWhat it means
Broken access controlLets users access data, features, or actions they shouldn't be allowed to use.
Cryptographic failuresMissing, weak, or incorrect encryption that can expose sensitive data.
InjectionUntrusted input is interpreted as a command, query, or instruction.
Insecure designSecurity weaknesses from poor planning, missing controls, or unsafe design decisions.
Security misconfigurationInsecure settings, default accounts, excess permissions, or unnecessary features.
Vulnerable componentsThird-party libraries, frameworks, plugins, or software versions with known flaws.
Identification & authentication failuresWeaknesses in login, password, session, or identity-verification processes.
Software & data integrity failuresAllowing untrusted or modified software, updates, or data to be used.
Security logging & monitoring failuresMissing or insufficient logs/alerts/monitoring, making attacks harder to detect.
Server-side request forgery (SSRF)Lets an attacker make a server send requests to unintended internal or external systems.