OWASP Top 10 Security Risks (2025): A Comprehensive Guide

Security teams today are stretched thin, while the cybersecurity risks are increasing. The challenge is they have to handle these risks without slowing down the work that keeps the business running. One overlooked configuration, one outdated library, one missed permission check, and attackers can enter through the cracks.  

Many teams still don’t have clear visibility of their security environment. That’s where the OWASP Top 10 security risks come in. It’s a snapshot of the most common security issues.  That means it provides a list of risks that security teams should prioritize.  

We’ll walk through each of the OWASP Top 10 risks for 2025, common examples, and mitigation strategies.

What are the OWASP Top 10 Risks?

The Open Web Application Security Project, also known as OWASP, is a non-profit organization that ranks the most critical security risks facing web applications. 

OWASP Top 10 security risks, updated usually every four years, are based on the severity of vulnerabilities, compiled with the inputs received from thousands of real security professionals around the world. It covers roughly 80% of web application security risks, making it an effective starting point for prioritizing protection efforts. 

OWASP list carries a lot of significance in the cybersecurity world because developers, security teams, and decision-makers need to understand where cyber risks actually originate. 

It shows you the vulnerabilities that attackers exploit daily. The list is based on real data. All major companies, government agencies, and security professions take it very seriously as it reflects actual breach data. 

• Payment card standards require it.
• Security certifications test on it. 
• Auditors evaluate web security.

The OWASP Top 10 Security Risks

The updated list of OWASP 10 security vulnerabilities is as follow:

A01: Broken Access Control

Access control mechanism decides who can access an organization’s systems and environment and to what extent. When it fails, unauthorized users access data and functions they shouldn’t access at any cost. 

The Broken Access Controls vulnerability allows users to bypass restrictions by changing URLs, manipulating parameters, or exploiting weak permission checks to view other people’s accounts or gain other admin privileges. 

34 CWEs (Common Weakness Enumerations) have been mapped with this broken access control risk with maximum incidence rate of 55.97 percent. 

Common examples of broken access control risks:  

• Modify account numbers in browser URLs to access someone else’s data.
• Browse directly to admin pages without logging in as an admin.
• Manipulate API requests to access restricted functions.
• Tamper with JWT tokens to escalate privileges.

Mitigation: 

• Build access controls into your server-side code. 
• Block access by default except for public pages. 
• Check permissions for every request.
• Log failed access attempts and alert admins when attacks happen.
• Use short-lived tokens, invalidate sessions when users log out. 
• Test your permission logic regularly. 
• Rate limit API calls to slow down automated attacks.

Explore our in-depth guide on A01: Broken Access Control

A02: Cryptographic Failures

In the 2017 list, cryptographic failure was at #1 spot. Cryptographic failure risks are created if a web app skips encryption for things like passwords or payment details. This can allow attackers to intercept networks or steal data for malicious purposes. Over 29 CWEs are mapped to the cryptographic failure risk with the maximum incidence risk of 46.44 percent.

Common examples of cryptographic risk failures: 

• Hardcoded API keys
• Plain HTTP for sensitive data
• MD5 password hashing
• Storing encryption keys with data
• Default SSL certificates

Mitigation:

• Classify all data your application handles and flag anything sensitive under privacy laws or business needs.
• Avoid storing sensitive data unless absolutely necessary. If stored, use PCI DSS-compliant tokenization or truncation.
• Encrypt all sensitive data at rest using strong, current algorithms and proper key management.
• Ensure all data in transit is encrypted using secure protocols like TLS. Enforce this with headers such as HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS).

Deep dive into A02: Cryptographic Failures Risk and its mitigation techniques

A03: Injection

Injection flaws have dropped to  # 3 spot from #2 in the 2017 OWASP list. It happens when applications accept user inputs without properly checking or sanitizing it. The attacker takes advantage of this by sending malicious commands instead of normal data. 

33 CWEs have been mapped to the injection attacks so far with the maximum incidence rate of 19 percent. 

Common examples of injection risks:

Common examples include SQL injection and cross-site scripting (XSS), which allows attackers to perform unrequired actions to steal session tokens, manipulate the user’s actions, or trick the browser into doing things it shouldn’t

Mitigation:

• Always check what users are sending. If something looks suspicious, block it.
• Clean the input before using it. Don’t assume the data is safe just because it came through a form.
• Before sending anything to a browser or a database, make sure it can’t be misread as code.
• Use tools, but don’t rely on them alone. You still need to follow secure coding habits.
• Limit what the database can do. Set strict access controls.

Understand A03: SQL Injection Attack in our full-length guide

A04: Insecure Design

Insecure Design vulnerabilities are related to weaknesses that creep in the system when it’s in the development phase. However, it should not be confused with the implementation defects. These issues are not about bugs in the code but rather about flawed decisions.  

40 CWEs have been mapped to the insecure design vulnerability with the maximum incidence rate of 24.19 percent. 

Common examples of insecure design risks:

Equifax’s 2017 data breach was a textbook case of insecure design. A known vulnerability in Apache Struts wasn’t patched, which gave attackers their way in. But the deeper problem was how the systems were structured. 

The network lacked internal boundaries, and when attackers were inside the system. They had access to everything. Logging was insufficient and alerts failed to trigger. 

It wasn’t just a patch that failed, it was the entire design that wasn’t built to catch or contain an attack.

Mitigation:

• Don’t treat security as a patch job. Build it into your architecture, wireframes, and user flows from the start.
• Use threat modeling in early stages. Identify trust boundaries, entry points, and abuse cases before the first line of code is written.
• Skip workflows that rely on shared secrets, such as security questions, or assume users behave as expected.
• Document and enforce security requirements. Every feature should include its security controls.

Secure your systems with our full guide on A04: Insecure Design Vulnerabilities

A05: Security Misconfiguration

In layman’s language, security misconfiguration is related to improper security security settings, permissions, and controls that attackers can exploit. By doing so they can gain access to the system to steal data and execute actions that may not be good for the company’s data and information. 

This can be caused by using default passwords or credentials, failing to apply software patches, and unnecessary permissions etc. 

20 CWEs have been mapped to the insecure design vulnerability with the maximum incidence rate of 20 percent. 

Common examples of security misconfiguration risks: 

Misconfigurations such as enabling directory listing, exposing detailed error messages, or using open cloud sharing settings may open gates to security configurations. 

Threat actors can easily exploit these security gaps to gain admin access, reverse-engineer code, and identify other hidden vulnerabilities in the system. 

Mitigation:

• Automate hardening process. Configure development, QA, and production environments identically. It will minimize the effort in setting up a new environment. 
• Remove unnecessary components. Uninstall unused features and frameworks.
• Regularly audit and update the configurations. Review security notes, updates, and patches, cloud storage permissions ( S3 bucket permissions). 
•  Maintain a secure and appropriate separation between components, or cloud security groups (ACLs).

Explore our in-depth guide on A05: Security Misconfigurations

A06: Vulnerable and Outdated Components

During the development phase, developers use many third-party libraries, plugins, and APIs that may carry invisible threats. Attackers can easily find a vulnerability in these outdated components and exploit it to their advantage. So, it is strongly recommended to remove any unused or unnecessary components. 

3 CWEs have been mapped to the insecure design vulnerability with the maximum incidence rate of 28 percent. 

Common examples of vulnerable and outdated components risk: 

Common examples include unpatched versions of popular frameworks, such as Apache Struts, jQuery, and Spring Framework. Many outdated JavaScript libraries, and legacy backend APIs also fall in this category. 

Mitigation: 

• Remove unused dependencies, features that are unrequired, outdated components, files, and documentation.
•  Make a detailed list of both client-side and server-side components and retire those that are not required. You can use software analysis tools for this purpose.
• Only use components from trusted official sources: Only use signed packages to avoid using malicious components.

Deep dive into A06: Vulnerable and Outdated Components and its mitigation techniques

A07: Identification & Authentication Failures

Identification and authentication failures occur owing to the failure to verify user identities, weak passwords, lack of multi-factor authentication, or poorly implemented login logic. This can result in session hijack and bypassing controls. 22 CWEs have been mapped to the insecure design vulnerability with the maximum incidence rate of 14.84 percent. 

Common examples of identification and authentication failures: 

• Permits brute-force or credential stuffing attacks
• Exposed session identifier 
• Insecure password recovery processes
• Hard-coded credentials
• Ineffective rate limiting on logins

Mitigation:

• Implement MFA to protect from automated credential stuffing, brute force attack. 
• Remove default credentials if any, especially for admin users. 
• Review weak password checks regularly. Align password length, complexity, and rotation policies as per strong password policy.

Understand A07: Identification and Authentication Failures in our full-length guide

A08: Software & Data Integrity Failures

Software and data integrity refers to risks caused by using data, components from untrusted sources. This category was introduced as a new risk in OWASP Top 10, 2021 list.  Signature checks, supply-chain safeguards, and strict CI/CD controls ensure you only install what you meant to. 10 CWEs have been mapped to the insecure design vulnerability with the maximum incidence rate of 16.67 percent. 

Common examples of software and data integrity failures:

Developers often use third-party libraries or CDNs from various sources that may contain malicious code. This can make the CI/CD pipelines insecure. Auto-update features are other examples that may push harmful updates in your system. 

Mitigation:  

• Verify the data before using it. Use digital signatures or similar mechanisms. 
• Always use credible repositories like npm or Maven.  
• Ensure supply-chain security. Use tools like OWASP CycloneDX, to verify whether the components come from the vetted sources. 
• Establish a secure code review process. It minimizes the chances of slipping malicious code or configuration in the development pipeline.

Secure your systems with our full guide on A08: Software & Data Integrity Failures

A09: Logging & Monitoring Failures

When attacks occur, most apps don’t notice. That’s the core risk here. Security logging and monitoring failures refer to poor visibility within your system. 

This category moved up the OWASP list in 2021 – and for good reason. Without logs, alerts, and real-time detection, a breach can go undetected for months. And once it’s missed, there is no audit trail to investigate what went wrong.

4 CWEs have been mapped to the insecure design vulnerability with the maximum incidence rate of 19.23 percent. 

Common examples of logging and monitoring failures:

• Missing or incomplete logs (e.g., logins, failed logins, privilege changes)
• Logs not reviewed or monitored for suspicious activity
• Insecure log storage, allowing tampering or unauthorized access
• Logs containing sensitive data (e.g., passwords, PII)

Mitigation: 

•  Prepare a detailed log of  login failures and access control violations with enough context. 
• Use a structured log format. Implement machine-readable log format that could be parsed by monitoring tools. can parse them.
• Always encode the data and store them with integrity controls. 
• Monitor your logs actively using tools like the ELK stack to build alerts and dashboards.

Understand A09: Security Logging And Monitoring Failures

A10: Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF)

SSRF vulnerabilities are related to web applications used to fetch remote data or resources without validating user-provided URLs. Hackers can use this to create requests that bypass a firewall, VPN, or other types of network access control mechanisms (ACLs).

 1 CWE has been mapped to the insecure design vulnerability with the maximum incidence rate of 2.72 percent.

Common examples of server side request forgery risk: 

• Malicious URLs trick servers into accessing internal resources.
• Cloud metadata endpoints via server requests.
• Vulnerable inputs or headers for unauthorized requests.
• XML or data formats to trigger hidden server calls.

Mitigation:

• Sanitize and validate all client-side input data. 
• Avoid deploying other security relevant services on front systems, such as  OpenID. 
• Enforce “deny by default” firewall policies or network access control rules. 
• Implement the URL schema, port, and destination with a positive allow list. 
• Avoid sending raw responses to clients. 
• Log all network flows on firewalls, including accepted and blocked flows. 
• Always disable HTTP redirections.

Explore our in-depth guide on A10: Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF)

How to Apply OWASP in Real Projects

Using OWASP Top 10 in your SDLC

1. Design Stage: Threat Modeling

Threat modeling helps teams identify, document, and prioritize potential security threats early in the design phase, enabling proactive mitigation strategies and ensuring security is built into the architecture from the start.

2. Coding: Secure-by-Default Practices

Developers should use secure coding standards and frameworks that enforce best practices, such as input validation and proper authentication, ensuring that new code is secure by default and reduces vulnerabilities.

3. Testing: Use of SAST, DAST, IAST, Manual Pen Tests

Automated tools like SAST, DAST, and IAST, combined with manual penetration testing, detect both common and complex vulnerabilities, ensuring comprehensive security coverage throughout the development and deployment process.

Mapping tools and Automation

CI/CD Tools to Support OWASP Alignment

Integrate security tools into CI/CD pipelines to automate vulnerability detection, enforce security checks side by side while coding, and ensure the code is continuously evaluated for OWASP Top 10 compliance before it is live. 

Choose tools 

Select  tools whether open source or paid ones based on your security needs, budget, and the complexity of the project. Open-source tools such as OWASP ZAP and Dependency-Check offer accessible and effective scanning options. 

For organizations with larger scale or compliance needs, commercial tools like Burp Suite, Snyk, and Veracode provide advanced reporting, policy enforcement, and team-wide integrations. 

Manual Intervention Still Matters

Not all vulnerabilities can be caught easily. The importance of manual code review, threat modeling, and penetration testing still matter as it can help identify many subtle vulnerabilities that may be overlooked by automated tools.

Practical Steps for Developers and Organizations

• Embed OWASP Top 10 security requirements into project planning, design, and code reviews.
• Integrate automated security tools (SAST/DAST) into CI/CD pipelines for continuous vulnerability detection.
• Appoint security champions in each team to promote best practices and act as security liaisons.
• Provide ongoing, practical training and foster a culture of security awareness through workshops and recognition.

Common Pitfalls when using OWASP Top 10 Security Risks 

Treating it as comprehensive security coverage

Many organizations don’t go beyond OWASP vulnerabilities, ignoring other vulnerabilities. That’s a dangerous mistake, leaving them exposed to numerous other attack vectors that are not part of the list.

Checkbox mentality over understanding

Fixing vulnerabilities is not just about ticking a checkbox after a superficial fixing of the weakness. Such an approach leads to inadequate protection. 

One-size-fits-all implementation

Different devices, systems, apps face different risk profiles. That demands a thorough understanding of the risk environment and apply mitigation strategies accordingly.  

Neglecting continuous monitoring

Building a security culture  is an ongoing activity as dependencies change, and new vulnerabilities emerge. It doesn’t end with implementing OWASP Top 10 controls during the development and deployment stage.   

Ignoring system-specific risks

Every IT system faces unique risk owing to its  unique architecture, tech stack, or workflows. It may create blind spots that OWASP categories don’t directly address.

Conclusion

OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities remain some of the most commonly exploited risks by attackers. Preventing them requires consistent effort, including proper input validation, strong authentication protocols, and secure coding practices.

This is not a one-time activity. It demands continuous effort through regular security assessments, thorough code reviews, and team-wide training. You need to  integrate threat models early in the software development life cycle (SDLC) and treat security as a foundational part of development workflows. .If you’re not testing against OWASP Top 10, you’re not testing against real-world threats. Our experts at SecureLayer7 can do this for you. Contact us now to learn more.

FAQs

Reference resources: 

OWASP Top Ten | OWASP Foundation

OWASP Top 10:2021