Web Application Security · 3.1
🔟 The OWASP Top 10
The industry's map of the most critical web risks⏱ ~2 min
Most systems people interact with are web applications — and that's where most real-world attacks happen. The OWASP Top 10 is the security industry's consensus list of the most critical web application security risks, updated every few years. If you learn one thing about web security, learn this list.
What Is OWASP?
OWASP (the Open Worldwide Application Security Project) is a nonprofit foundation that produces free, vendor-neutral security resources used across the entire industry. Its Top 10 is referenced in standards, job descriptions, and compliance requirements worldwide.
The OWASP Top 10 (2021 → 2025 categories)
| Category | The Core Problem |
|---|---|
| Broken Access Control | Users can do or see things they shouldn't be allowed to |
| Cryptographic Failures | Sensitive data isn't properly protected (weak or missing encryption) |
| Injection | User input is treated as a command (SQL injection, XSS, and more) |
| Insecure Design | The application is flawed at the blueprint level, not just the code |
| Security Misconfiguration | Insecure defaults, exposed panels, unnecessary features left on |
| Vulnerable & Outdated Components | Using libraries/software with known vulnerabilities |
| Identification & Auth Failures | Weak login, session, or identity handling |
| Software & Data Integrity Failures | Trusting code or updates that could be tampered with |
| Logging & Monitoring Failures | Attacks go unnoticed because nothing is watching |
| Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) | Tricking a server into making requests it shouldn't |
⚠ WarningOWASP updates this list periodically as the threat landscape shifts (the 2025 edition is the current release, following 2021). The exact ranking and category names change between editions — always check owasp.org for the current version rather than trusting a memorized list.
🔗OWASP Top 10
The authoritative, free list of the most critical web application security risks — the current edition and full details.
https://owasp.org/www-project-top-ten/
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