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OWASP Top 10 Security Risks in Modern Web Applications

Sayva Security Team••10 min read
#OWASP#security#web applications#vulnerabilities

Executive Summary

The Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) Top 10 represents the most critical security risks facing web applications today. For organizations developing or maintaining web applications, especially those handling financial data through APIs like Plaid, understanding and mitigating these risks is essential for maintaining security and compliance.

The 2024 OWASP Top 10

A01: Broken Access Control

Access control enforces policy such that users cannot act outside of their intended permissions. Failures typically lead to unauthorized information disclosure, modification, or destruction of data.

  • Bypassing access control checks by modifying URLs or API parameters
  • Elevation of privilege without proper authorization
  • CORS misconfiguration allowing unauthorized API access

A02: Cryptographic Failures

Previously known as "Sensitive Data Exposure," this category focuses on failures related to cryptography that often lead to exposure of sensitive data.

  • Use strong encryption algorithms (AES-256 for data at rest)
  • Implement TLS 1.3 for data in transit
  • Secure key management practices
  • Proper certificate validation

A03: Injection

Injection flaws occur when untrusted data is sent to an interpreter as part of a command or query. This includes SQL, NoSQL, OS, and LDAP injection.

A04: Insecure Design

A category focusing on risks related to design and architectural flaws, emphasizing the need for threat modeling and secure design patterns.

A05: Security Misconfiguration

Common issues include default configurations left unchanged, unnecessary features enabled, and verbose error messages exposing system details.

A06: Vulnerable and Outdated Components

Using components with known vulnerabilities or unsupported software can expose your application to attacks.

A07: Identification and Authentication Failures

Critical areas include weak password policies, missing multi-factor authentication, and session management flaws.

A08: Software and Data Integrity Failures

Relates to code and infrastructure that does not protect against integrity violations.

A09: Security Logging and Monitoring Failures

Essential for detecting and responding to breaches. Log authentication attempts, access control failures, and application errors.

A10: Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF)

SSRF flaws occur when a web application fetches a remote resource without validating the user-supplied URL.

Implementation Roadmap

  1. Assessment: Conduct security assessment against OWASP Top 10
  2. Remediation: Address critical vulnerabilities and implement security controls
  3. Validation: Perform security testing and validate fixes
  4. Monitoring: Implement continuous monitoring and regular assessments

Conclusion

The OWASP Top 10 provides a foundation for web application security. Regular assessment, continuous monitoring, and proactive security measures ensure your applications remain resilient against evolving threats.