OWASP (Open Worldwide Application Security Project) is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving software security. It provides free resources, tools, documentation, methodologies, and best practices to help developers, security professionals, and organizations build secure applications. Its well-known OWASP Top 10 lists the most critical web security risks, helping organizations identify and prevent vulnerabilities.

Modern businesses rely heavily on web applications for customer engagement, internal operations, and digital services. As applications become more complex, so do the security threats targeting them. Data breaches, account takeovers, and unauthorized access can result in financial losses, reputational damage, and legal consequences.

OWASP is widely recognized as one of the most trusted sources of web application security guidance worldwide.

Many cyberattacks do not exploit advanced hacking techniques. Instead, attackers often target common security weaknesses that developers overlook during application design and development.

OWASP helps organizations:

• Identify common vulnerabilities
• Implement secure coding practices
• Improve security testing processes
• Educate development teams
• Reduce the risk of data breaches

By following OWASP recommendations, organizations can significantly strengthen their security posture.

The OWASP Top 10 is a regularly updated list of the most critical web application security risks. It serves as a foundational security awareness document for developers and organizations.

The latest official release is OWASP Top 10:2025, which was released in November 2025.

The current Top 10 is:

• Broken Access Control
• Security Misconfiguration
• Software Supply Chain Failures
• Cryptographic Failures
• Injection
• Insecure Design
• Authentication Failures
• Software or Data Integrity Failures
• Security Logging and Alerting Failures
• Mishandling of Exceptional Conditions

The OWASP Top 10 does not have a fixed annual schedule. Historically, it has been updated roughly every 3–4 years based on data collected from security companies, consulting firms, bug bounty programs, and vulnerability assessments worldwide.

Version Years:

• 2003
• 2004
• 2007
• 2010
• 2013
• 2017
• 2021
• 2025

OWASP gathers:

• Millions of vulnerability records
• Data from security vendors
• Penetration testing results
• Bug bounty findings
• Research from security experts

The categories are then ranked based on:

• Frequency
• Severity
• Exploitability
• Impact
• Industry prevalence

This is why categories sometimes change.

For example, for 2017

• Sensitive Data Exposure
• Broken Authentication

Whereas, for 2021

• Cryptographic Failures
• Identification and Authentication Failures

The new names better reflected the root security problems rather than the symptoms.

OWASP provides many additional resources, including:

• OWASP ASVS (Application Security Verification Standard)
• OWASP Testing Guide
• OWASP Cheat Sheets
• OWASP Dependency-Check
• OWASP ZAP (Zed Attack Proxy)

These resources help organizations implement security throughout the software development lifecycle.