Web application security using top 10 OWASP

Abstract

Web applications have become an integral part of everyday life, enabling services such as online banking, e-commerce, education, and communication. As their adoption continues to increase, so does the risk of cyberattacks targeting security weaknesses within these applications. Many of these vulnerabilities arise from insecure coding practices, improper configurations, and inadequate security controls. To address these challenges, the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) Top 10 serves as a widely accepted framework for identifying and mitigating common web application security risks. This study investigates web application vulnerabilities based on the OWASP Top 10 framework through a practical security assessment approach. Various security tools, including Burp Suite, OWASP ZAP, Threat Dragon, Hydra, Trivy, and Splunk, were utilized to perform threat modeling, vulnerability assessment, authentication testing, dependency analysis, and security monitoring. Testing was conducted in a controlled environment to evaluate the effectiveness of these tools in identifying security weaknesses. The assessment revealed several significant vulnerabilities, including Broken Access Control (IDOR), Cryptographic Failures, HTML Injection, Insecure Design, Identification and Authentication Failures, and Security Logging and Monitoring Failures. The findings demonstrate how these weaknesses can compromise application security and expose systems to potential attacks. Appropriate mitigation measures were also identified to reduce associated risks. The study concludes that web application security requires continuous assessment and proactive security practices throughout the software development lifecycle. Adopting OWASP guidelines and implementing effective security controls can significantly enhance the protection and resilience of modern web applications.