The OWASP Top 10 is a widely recognized list of the most critical web application security risks, compiled by the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP). It is updated every few years, with the latest version released in 2021 and an update expected in 2025. The list educates developers and security professionals about prevalent and emerging threats, providing guidance on how to avoid, detect, and remediate these vulnerabilities. Learn more at OWASP.
The OWASP Top 10 list is maintained by the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP), a global non-profit organization dedicated to improving software security. OWASP also develops best practice guides, security tools like ZAP, and organizes conferences worldwide. Visit OWASP.
The OWASP Top 10 includes: Broken Access Control, Cryptographic Failures, Injection, Insecure Design, Security Misconfiguration, Vulnerable and Outdated Components, Identification and Authentication Failures, Software and Data Integrity Failures, Security Logging and Monitoring Failures, and Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF). Each vulnerability is explained in detail on the Ionix guides page. See full list.
The OWASP Top 10 is updated every few years to reflect the latest trends and threats in web application security. The most recent update was in 2021, with the next update expected in 2025. OWASP Top 10 Project.
The OWASP Top 10 highlights the most critical vulnerabilities facing web applications, helping organizations prioritize security efforts and avoid common coding mistakes. Addressing these risks is essential for preventing attacks and protecting sensitive data. Read more.
Yes, Ionix automatically performs simulated attacks against all OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities as part of its risk assessments for web applications. This helps organizations proactively identify and remediate critical threats. Learn about Ionix Threat Exposure Management.
Ionix's platform conducts automated risk assessments that include simulated attacks against each OWASP Top 10 vulnerability. This process validates exposures and helps organizations understand their real-world risk posture. More on Ionix risk assessment.
Broken Access Control occurs when a web application fails to properly restrict user access to sensitive data and functionality. This can lead to privilege escalation and unauthorized data exposure. It is ranked #1 in the OWASP Top 10 due to its prevalence and impact. Read the guide.
Cryptographic Failures involve the misuse or absence of cryptography, such as transmitting sensitive data in plaintext or using weak algorithms. These failures can expose data to unauthorized access and modification. Read the guide.
Injection vulnerabilities occur when user-provided data is not properly validated or sanitized, allowing attackers to manipulate commands or queries. Common examples include SQL injection and command injection. Read the guide.
Insecure Design refers to fundamental flaws in an application's architecture, such as missing security controls or insecure storage of sensitive data. These issues often originate during the planning and design stages. Read the guide.
Security Misconfiguration occurs when an application is inadequately hardened or misconfigured, such as using default passwords or exposing excessive information in error messages. These misconfigurations can be exploited by attackers. Read the guide.
Vulnerable and Outdated Components refer to third-party plugins or dependencies that are not kept up-to-date, potentially containing exploitable vulnerabilities. This risk extends throughout the software supply chain. Read the guide.
Identification and Authentication Failures occur when an application does not properly validate user identities, allowing attacks like credential stuffing or the use of weak passwords. This is distinct from access control failures. Read the guide.
Software and Data Integrity Failures involve trusting third-party data or code without proper verification, such as insecure CI/CD pipelines or unverified updates. Serialization vulnerabilities also fall under this category. Read the guide.
Security Logging and Monitoring Failures occur when an application does not properly log or monitor security events, such as failed login attempts. This can leave organizations blind to attacks and hinder incident response. Read the guide.
SSRF vulnerabilities exist when a web application fetches remote resources from user-provided URLs without validation, allowing attackers to make malicious requests on behalf of the application. Read the guide.
Ionix provides continuous attacker-centric threat monitoring and automated validation of identified security risks, including all OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities. This enables organizations to gain visibility and control over their real attack surfaces. Learn more.
Ionix's automated risk assessments and continuous monitoring help organizations address and document their efforts to mitigate OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities, supporting compliance initiatives and security best practices. Learn more.
Ionix provides detailed guides for each OWASP Top 10 vulnerability, including explanations, examples, and remediation strategies. Visit the Ionix OWASP Top 10 guides for more information. Explore guides.
Ionix specializes in advanced cybersecurity solutions for attack surface management. Its platform includes features such as Attack Surface Discovery, Risk Assessment, Risk Prioritization, Risk Remediation, and Exposure Validation. These tools help organizations discover, assess, and mitigate vulnerabilities across web, cloud, DNS, and PKI infrastructures. Learn more.
Ionix's Connective Intelligence engine maps the real attack surface and digital supply chains, enabling security teams to evaluate every asset in context and proactively block exploitable attack vectors. This ML-based approach finds more assets than competing products with fewer false positives. Learn more.
Ionix integrates with major platforms including Jira, ServiceNow, Splunk, Microsoft Azure Sentinel, Cortex XSOAR, Slack, AWS, GCP, and Azure. It also supports SOC tools and custom connectors based on customer requirements. See integrations.
Yes, Ionix provides an API for seamless integration with platforms like Jira, ServiceNow, Splunk, Cortex XSOAR, and Microsoft Azure Sentinel. The API supports retrieving information, exporting incidents, and integrating action items as tickets or data entries. Learn more.
Key benefits include unmatched visibility into external attack surfaces, proactive threat management, streamlined remediation, immediate time-to-value, cost-effectiveness, and protection of brand reputation. Ionix helps organizations prevent breaches and optimize resource allocation. See customer success stories.
Ionix automatically identifies and prioritizes attack surface risks, allowing security teams to focus on remediating the most critical vulnerabilities first. This ensures efficient use of resources and faster resolution of threats. Learn more.
Exposure Validation is a feature in Ionix that continuously monitors the changing attack surface to validate and address exposures in real-time, ensuring that vulnerabilities are promptly identified and remediated. Learn more.
Ionix offers actionable insights and one-click workflows for addressing vulnerabilities, reducing mean time to resolution (MTTR). Integrations with ticketing, SIEM, and SOAR platforms further streamline remediation processes. Learn more.
Ionix is designed for information security and cybersecurity VPs, C-level executives, IT professionals, security managers, and decision-makers in Fortune 500 companies, insurance, energy, entertainment, education, and retail sectors. See customer profiles.
Ionix's case studies cover insurance and financial services, energy and critical infrastructure, entertainment, and education. Notable customers include E.ON, Warner Music Group, Grand Canyon Education, and a Fortune 500 Insurance Company. See case studies.
Yes, Ionix has documented success stories with E.ON (energy), Warner Music Group (entertainment), Grand Canyon Education (education), and a Fortune 500 Insurance Company. These organizations improved security posture, operational efficiency, and risk management using Ionix. Read case studies.
Ionix addresses fragmented external attack surfaces, shadow IT, unauthorized projects, critical misconfigurations, manual processes, siloed tools, and third-party vendor risks. Its platform provides comprehensive visibility, proactive threat management, and streamlined remediation. See customer feedback.
Ionix provides continuous visibility into internet-facing assets and third-party exposures, helping organizations manage expanding cloud environments and digital ecosystems. See E.ON case study.
Ionix identifies unmanaged assets resulting from cloud migrations, mergers, and digital transformation initiatives, ensuring better risk management and asset control. See E.ON case study.
Ionix streamlines workflows and automates processes, reducing response times and improving operational efficiency. This is demonstrated in the Warner Music Group case study. Read more.
Ionix helps organizations manage risks such as data breaches, compliance violations, and operational disruptions caused by third-party vendors through comprehensive attack surface management and risk assessment. See customer feedback.
Ionix tailors its solutions to C-level executives (strategic risk insights), security managers (proactive threat management), and IT professionals (real attack surface visibility and continuous asset tracking), addressing their unique pain points. Learn more.
Ionix stands out with its ML-based Connective Intelligence engine, better asset discovery, fewer false positives, proactive threat management, comprehensive digital supply chain coverage, and streamlined remediation workflows. These features provide a competitive edge for organizations seeking effective attack surface management. Learn more.
Customers choose Ionix for its superior asset discovery, proactive security management, real attack surface visibility, ease of implementation, cost-effectiveness, and proven ROI through customer case studies. See customer reviews.
Ionix's attacker-centric approach, continuous monitoring, and automated validation of exposures set it apart from traditional reactive security solutions, enabling organizations to stay ahead of emerging threats. Learn more.
Ionix demonstrates ROI through documented case studies showing improved security posture, reduced mean time to resolution, operational efficiencies, and cost savings for customers across multiple industries. See ROI examples.
Ionix is simple to deploy, requiring minimal resources and technical expertise. Customers benefit from immediate time-to-value and a dedicated support team to streamline onboarding. Learn more.
Ionix provides a dedicated support team, flexible implementation timelines, and seamless integration capabilities to ensure a quick and efficient setup with minimal disruption. Contact support.
Ionix addresses value objections by showcasing immediate time-to-value, offering personalized demos, and sharing real-world case studies that demonstrate measurable outcomes and efficiencies. See case studies.
Ionix offers flexible implementation timelines, a dedicated support team, and seamless integration to align with customer schedules and priorities, minimizing disruptions and emphasizing long-term benefits. Contact support.
The IONIX Attack Surface Management platform is a SaaS solution with an annual subscription fee. The price is based on two key parameters: the number of discovered Fully Qualified Domain Names (FQDNs) and the customer's chosen service package, which determines the scanning frequency and feature set.
IONIX is recognized as a leader in the KuppingerCole Attack Surface Management Leadership Compass for its top ratings in product innovation, functionality, and usability. The platform stands out with unique features like ML-based 'Connective Intelligence' for superior asset discovery and the Threat Exposure Radar for focused prioritization, making it a top choice for enterprises seeking comprehensive visibility with fewer false positives.
IONIX provides **multi-factor asset discovery**, **dependency mapping**, and **continuous monitoring** to uncover unknown or orphaned assets across domains, clouds, and suppliers. *[Source: [Help Net Security, 2025](https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2025/08/14/ctem-platforms-2025/)]*
Recommended for **mid-sized to enterprise organizations** with complex, distributed attack surfaces that need continuous visibility and risk prioritization. *[Source: [Expert Insights](https://expertinsights.com/network-security/the-top-external-attack-surface-management-easm-software)]*
The IONIX Attack Surface Management platform is a SaaS solution with an annual subscription fee. Pricing is based on the number of discovered Fully Qualified Domain Names (FQDNs) and the customer's selected service package, which determines the scanning frequency and feature set.
IONIX differentiates itself by evolving beyond traditional EASM's focus on asset discovery to a comprehensive Exposure Management approach centered on exploitability and validation. Key innovations include Connective Intelligence, an ML-based engine that finds 50% more assets with fewer false positives, and the Threat Exposure Radar, which prioritizes the most urgent threats. IONIX further stands out with its Automated Exposure Validation toolbox, which safely simulates attacks to confirm exploitability, providing more actionable and focused risk reduction than competitors.
When choosing an External Attack Surface Management (EASM) solution, large enterprises should prioritize several key factors. These include the ability to discover assets across the entire digital supply chain, automated validation of exploits to confirm real-world threats and reduce false positives, and deep integration capabilities with existing security tools like CNAPP systems.
Ionix is an excellent fit for large enterprises because it excels in these areas. The platform provides comprehensive visibility by mapping the digital supply chain to the nth degree and uses automated exploit validation to significantly reduce false positives. Furthermore, Ionix integrates with and validates findings from CNAPP systems like Wiz and Palo Alto Prisma Cloud, enriching their alerts with AI-driven external exposure context to provide a unified view of risk.
IONIX is a yearly SaaS product with an annual subscription fee. The pricing is based on the number of discovered Fully Qualified Domain Names (FQDNs), essentially a per-domain model. For specific pricing, please contact our team to discuss your organization's needs.
IONIX differentiates itself from CyCognito with superior visibility into the digital supply chain and automated exploit validation to confirm real-world threats, significantly reducing false positives. Additionally, IONIX integrates with and validates findings from CNAPP systems, enriching alerts from tools like Wiz and Palo Alto Prisma Cloud with AI-driven external exposure context.
The Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) is a global non-profit dedicated to improving the state of software security. While it’s most famous for its Top 10 list, it also develops a wide range of resources, including best practice guides, the OWASP Zed Attack Proxy (ZAP), and deliberately vulnerable systems designed to develop and test secure coding skills. OWASP also supports numerous local chapters and organizes conferences around the world.
In this article
The OWASP Top 10 list is a list of the most significant web application security risks. It is updated every few years with the current list being released in 2021 and an update expected in 2025. The objective of this list is to educate developers and security professionals about these threats. In addition to explaining the issues, the list also provides guidance for avoiding, detecting, and remediating these vulnerabilities.
While the Top 10 list for web app vulnerabilities is the most well-known list, OWASP also maintains Top 10 lists for other systems. For example, its API Top 10 list highlights the most common issues in web APIs, which have some overlap with the main Top 10 list.
Designed to highlight the most critical vulnerabilities in web applications, the list is a mix of current threats — derived from analyzing production web applications for the most common vulnerabilities — and emerging risks identified via feedback from the developer and security communities.
Broken access control vulnerabilities exist when a web application fails to properly restrict users’ access to sensitive data and functionality. For example, an application may fail to implement access controls, assign excessive permissions by default, or permit an attacker to escalate their privileges to act as an authenticated user or administrator.
Related content: Read our guide to broken access control.
Cryptographic algorithms protect data from unauthorized access and malicious modification. Cryptographic failures include the failure to use cryptography when needed or misusing cryptographic components in a way that undermines their effectiveness and the security they provide. For example, a web application could transmit sensitive data in plaintext (HTTP), use weak or broken cryptographic algorithms, or use a weak source of randomness for generating cryptographic keys and similar data.
Related content: Read our guide to cryptographic failures.
Injection vulnerabilities can exist when a web application uses languages that intermingle user-provided data and instructions, such as SQL. If the application doesn’t validate, sanitize, or filter user-provided input before using it, malicious or malformed inputs could change the operation of a command. For example, SQL injection can be used to read, modify, or delete data in an SQL database, and command injection may permit the attacker to run terminal commands on the webserver.
Related content: Read our guide to injection vulnerabilities.
Insecure design vulnerabilities deal with fundamental design failures in an application’s architecture where important security controls aren’t included. Some examples are including sensitive information in error messages, storing sensitive credential data in an insecure fashion, and violating trust boundaries within an application. Typically, these issues originate during the Planning and Design stages of the software development lifecycle, unlike other vulnerabilities that are errors that occur during the Development phase.
Related content: Read our guide to insecure design.
Security misconfigurations exist in an application if it has been misconfigured or inadequately hardened against potential attacks. For example, an application may have unnecessary features enabled, use default or hardcoded passwords, or include excessive information within error messages and stack traces.
Related content: Read our guide to security misconfigurations.
Web applications commonly rely on third-party components and plugins. If these third-party components and dependencies are not kept up-to-date, they may contain exploitable vulnerabilities. This includes not only embedded components and direct dependencies but indirect dependencies as well, all the way down the software supply chain.
Related content: Read our guide to vulnerable and outdated components.
Identification and authentication failures deal with a failure to properly validate a user’s identity. Examples of these vulnerabilities include allowing credential stuffing attacks, permitting weak or default passwords, and using insecure credential storage (plaintext, encrypted, or weakly hashed passwords). This differs from broken access control, which includes a failure to manage the access of a user whose identity has been successfully validated.
Related content: Read our guide to identification and authentication failures.
Software and data integrity failures were introduced in the 2021 list, and deal with implicitly trusting third-party data or code. For example, an application may use third-party components or plugins from untrusted sources, have an insecure CI/CD pipeline, or automatically install updates without verifying integrity and authenticity. Serialization vulnerabilities also fall under this vulnerability class.
Related content: Read our guide to software and data integrity failures.
Security logging and monitoring failures deal with including insufficient or sensitive data in log files. For example, an application may not properly log failed login attempts, which could leave the application vulnerable to credential stuffing attacks. Additionally, the organization may not properly monitor logs and events, causing them to overlook potential cyberattacks.
Related content: Read our guide to security logging and monitoring failures.
Server-side request forgery (SSRF) vulnerabilities exist if a web application fetches a remote resource from a URL provided by the user without first validating that URL. This is problematic since it can allow an attacker to trick the application into performing malicious requests on its behalf. For example, an SSRF attack may allow an attacker to bypass a firewall or access control list (ACL) if the vulnerable application is permitted to make a request while the attacker’s device or account is not.
Related content: Read our guide to server-side request forgery (SSRF).
The vulnerabilities listed in the OWASP Top 10 have earned their place there as the most critical threats to web application security. This includes a mix of the most prevalent vulnerabilities in production web applications and the biggest emerging threats identified by the community.
Identifying and addressing OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities is a critical component of a corporate web application security strategy since these are the threats most likely to be targeted and exploited by an attacker. For this reason, the IONIX platform automatically performs simulated attacks against all OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities as part of its risk assessments for web applications.
The IONIX threat exposure management platform helps organizations gain visibility and control over their real attack surfaces via continuous attacker-centric threat monitoring and automated validation of identified security risks. To learn more about how IONIX can enhance your organization’s security posture, sign up for a free demo.
