Digital risks and strategies for preventing and mitigating attacks are constantly evolving. Staying informed can be challenging but crucial—without a strong security plan, you risk data breaches, malware, and other threats. Fortunately, excellent resources are available to help.
The OWASP Top 10 is a valuable resource that offers comprehensive, up-to-date insights into the most critical vulnerabilities. It highlights today’s most significant risks and guides addressing them. This guide will outline the OWASP Top 10 for 2023 and explain how these insights can shape your cybersecurity strategy.
What is the OWASP Top 10, and how does it function?
The Open Worldwide Application Security Project (OWASP) aims to enhance software security by offering a variety of free tools, projects, and strategies to the public. These resources are recommended for users, developers, and security professionals alike.
Among OWASP’s most notable contributions is its widely recognized Top 10 list of security risks. As OWASP describes, this list represents a collective consensus on the most critical security threats to web applications.
How frequently is the OWASP Top 10 updated?
Security threats continually evolve, necessitating regular updates to the OWASP Top 10. Official updates are typically released every three to four years. Following this timeline, the next version is expected in 2024 or 2025. As software development advances rapidly, particularly in the open-source sector, staying informed about OWASP Top 10 updates is crucial for maintaining robust security practices.
Does OWASP remain relevant today?
The most recent OWASP Top 10 was published in 2021, marking the first major update since 2017. Despite the many significant security advancements since its release, the 2021 edition remains a trusted and relevant resource in cybersecurity.
Some critics argue that focusing on only ten risks might lead organizations to neglect other vital threats. However, OWASP remains an excellent foundation for improving security awareness and practices.
The OWASP Top 10 Security Risks
Insecure access control
Even the most comprehensive security strategies can have minimal impact if implemented incorrectly. Unfortunately, this often happens, where seemingly advanced security solutions fail to deliver on their full potential due to improper execution.
The main culprit? Broken access control occurs when unauthorized parties access seemingly secure systems and user accounts. This unexpected access puts sensitive business data at significant risk. Often, these problematic applications fail to adhere to the principle of least privilege, which dictates that users should only be granted the specific permissions necessary to perform their required tasks. This best practice involves validating and sanitizing all user inputs, preventing malicious data injection, enforcing access control on APIs, and verifying authorization for each request.
This situation can occur for several reasons, including misconfigurations, IDOR (Insecure Direct Object Reference)—where apps expose direct references to internal files or database records—and insecure session management, which allows attackers to hijack user sessions, among other possible causes.
According to alarming findings from OWASP, the majority of applications suffer from some form of access control issues, making this a widespread concern. Regular website security audits and code reviews are crucial for identifying and addressing access control vulnerabilities to reduce unauthorized access risks.
Encryption vulnerabilities
Cryptographic failures represent a far-reaching yet undeniably critical concept. As a restructured version of the OWASP category known as “Sensitive Data Exposure,” this category refers to any breach or exposure caused by factors such as weak encryption algorithms or short encryption keys.
Data encryption is paramount in cybersecurity and defending against hackers; however, not every company or individual encrypts their data properly.
While data encryption may appear simple, it is pretty complex.Data needs to be encrypted both at rest and during transit. OWASP advises evaluating encryption based on the specific threat model, as different types of encryption are designed to defend against particular attacks or vectors.
Beyond this, OWASP experts offer an essential reminder: securing sensitive data is easier when it is not stored in the first place. Moreover, while encryption is crucial, applications must be designed to maintain layered security, even if encryption solutions and strategies fail.
Regular security testing, such as code reviews and vulnerability assessments, can help identify and fix cryptographic issues. Another option for enhanced security is to consider using secure cryptographic libraries for additional layers of protection.
Injection
Injection attacks occur when malicious code or malware is inserted in a way that allows attackers to manipulate key commands. These attacks exploit vulnerabilities in code that would enable unauthorized users to input harmful data.
Once ranked as the top threat by OWASP, injection moved to third place in the 2021 update. A significant change in this version is the expanded category, which now includes cross-site scripting (XSS)—a growing security concern. The category also covers various forms of injection, such as SQL, NoSQL, and LDAP, which remain dangerous. To combat these threats, developers can implement intrusion detection systems, secure APIs, and server-side input validation.
Vulnerable design
At first, the “Insecure Design” category in OWASP might seem overly broad, as it covers various risks affecting all types of apps and APIs. However, its purpose is to highlight how many security issues emerge early in the development process, emphasizing the importance of addressing them during the initial planning stages.
Insecure design isn’t about a specific mistake but rather a flawed approach to security that needs to be corrected. OWASP stresses the need for a security-first mindset, incorporating practices such as threat modelling, secure design patterns, principles, and reference architectures.
Identifying vulnerabilities early—often before any code is written—can prevent later issues that are harder to detect and resolve. This proactive approach is more effective and efficient, as it reduces the need for costly security revisions during or after implementation.
Improper security configuration
Neglecting security best practices can turn seemingly secure websites and applications into significant vulnerabilities. Often, security settings are left in their default configurations, preventing sites from obtaining the protection needed in today’s high-risk digital landscape.
Misconfigurations can occur at any level, from application servers to network services. These issues often arise when unnecessary features, such as unused ports or accounts, are left enabled or when software is outdated.
Misconfigurations can expose websites to attacks, including cross-site scripting or command injection. Even web application firewalls (WAFs) can be improperly configured, highlighting the importance of thorough oversight and caution at every security stage.
Outdated and vulnerable components
As application architectures become increasingly complex, the likelihood of key components becoming outdated and more susceptible to malicious code also grows. This has led to a rise in the importance of this category on the OWASP list, where it was previously ranked lower.
The risk intensifies when websites use components with known vulnerabilities instead of updating them. While sticking with familiar components may seem more convenient, it leaves systems open to exploitation by cybercriminals.
The best defence is awareness. This means thoroughly vetting third-party components before implementing them and continuously monitoring for vulnerabilities after use. Opting for streamlined applications with fewer components reduces the chance of outdated or vulnerable elements whenever possible.
Patch management and regular software updates are essential, as no component can be guaranteed to remain secure indefinitely. Clear procedures should be in place for detecting vulnerabilities and implementing mitigation strategies as they arise.
Authentication and identification failures
Previously known as “broken authentication,” identification and authentication failures can occur in various situations, typically due to weaknesses in password protection, session management, or the lack of rate-limiting login attempts.
For instance, some applications may allow users to retain default passwords or choose weak ones, making them vulnerable to brute-force attacks. Other risks include credential stuffing and session hijacking, which can compromise security.
A comprehensive scanning solution can significantly improve security by regularly identifying the most critical authentication and identification vulnerabilities. While strong passwords are essential, implementing multi-factor authentication and CAPTCHA can provide additional protection against cyberattacks.
Failures in software and data integrity
When code and infrastructure fail to safeguard against integrity violations, it can lead to security vulnerabilities that affect everything from frameworks to client-side systems.
This issue was added to the OWASP list in 2021. It highlights risks such as relying on plugins, libraries, or modules from untrusted sources, repositories, or content delivery networks (CDNs).
Auto-update features can also present a danger, particularly if the integrity of updates is not verified during download. Without this verification step, attackers can upload and distribute malicious updates.
A key prevention measure is using digital signatures, which are both simple and effective. Digital signatures verify that data originates from trusted sources, providing essential validation and peace of mind that the software remains secure.
Failures in security logging and monitoring
Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF)
First introduced in the OWASP Top 10 in 2017 and now rising in prominence, this category highlights not a specific vulnerability but the general failure to log critical events, such as login attempts.
Logging failed login attempts is vital for detecting and mitigating security breaches. These logs should be securely backed up and stored in separate locations to avoid loss in a disaster or hardware failure. Real-time monitoring enhances protection by ensuring logs are reviewed and analyzed promptly.
There is a significant overlap between this category and cryptographic failures. Without proper encryption for data at rest and in transit, attackers could easily access and manipulate log data, compromising its integrity.
Tips to Safeguard Your Application
- Security Scanning
- Encryption
- Log Files
- Authorization
- Authentication
