Catalog
concept#Security#Software Engineering#Architecture#DevOps

OWASP Top 10

A community-maintained catalogue of the most critical web application security risks that helps developers, architects and security teams prioritize and mitigate vulnerabilities.

The OWASP Top 10 is a community-driven catalogue of the most critical web application security risks.
Established
Medium

Classification

  • Medium
  • Technical
  • Architectural
  • Intermediate

Technical context

CI/CD tools (Jenkins, GitHub Actions)SAST/DAST scanners (e.g. OWASP ZAP)Issue trackers and ticketing systems

Principles & goals

Prioritize risks by criticalityBe lean and integrable into development processesProvide concrete, actionable mitigation recommendations
Build
Enterprise, Domain, Team

Use cases & scenarios

Compromises

  • False sense of security if applied blindly without context
  • Over-focus on Top 10 and ignoring other risks
  • Wasted effort if mitigations are not prioritized
  • Contextualize the Top 10 for your architecture
  • Automate tests for relevant categories
  • Use Top 10 mapping for release checklists

I/O & resources

  • Source code and build artifacts
  • Architecture and API documentation
  • Existing security findings and logs
  • Prioritized vulnerability list
  • Test cases and automation scripts
  • Remediation and compliance reports

Description

The OWASP Top 10 is a community-driven catalogue of the most critical web application security risks. It raises awareness, describes common vulnerabilities, and suggests mitigations for developers, architects, and security teams. It is used to prioritize testing, design controls, and compliance efforts.

✔

  • Improved awareness of common vulnerabilities
  • Targeted prioritization of tests and resources
  • Standardized reference for audits and compliance

✖

  • Not comprehensive for domain-specific risks
  • May lag behind emerging vulnerability types
  • Requires contextualization for complex systems

  • Number of critical findings

    Counts discovered vulnerabilities classified by criticality.

  • Mean time to remediation (MTTR)

    Average time from discovery to closed remediation.

  • Coverage of Top 10 test cases

    Percentage of implemented tests against Top 10 categories.

Use as security checklist at release

A product team integrates the Top 10 into the release checklist and reduces critical findings before production rollout.

Mapping for penetration test engagement

An external pentest provider structures tests according to Top 10 categories for clear evidence reporting.

Training and awareness

Security workshops use Top 10 examples to raise developer awareness of common error patterns.

1

Map Top 10 categories to existing risks

2

Implement test cases and CI checks for relevant categories

3

Introduce regular reviews, training and metrics

⚠️ Technical debt & bottlenecks

  • Untreated legacy code with known vulnerabilities
  • Missing test coverage for security-relevant paths
  • Outdated libraries without an update process
Legacy code and technical debtLimited security expertise in the teamIncomplete test automation
  • Using the Top 10 as the sole security source
  • Continuing to use outdated versions without updates
  • Prioritizing all findings equally
  • Failing to adapt to platform-specific risks
  • Overreliance on automated scanners
  • Not tracking remediation actions
Basic web security and OWASP category knowledgeAbility to perform code review and threat modelingExperience with security tools and test automation
Likelihood of attack vs impactTraceability and evidenceability for auditsIntegrability into CI/CD and testing tools
  • • Time and resource budget
  • • Dependencies on third-party components
  • • Regulatory requirements and deadlines