Web App Security: The OWASP Top 10 and How to Avoid Them

Why your app's security should matter to you — even if you're not technical

Any app or website connected to the internet is a potential target — not necessarily because it's important, but because automated attacks scan the web looking for any vulnerability. A single breach can mean leaking your customers' data, taking down your service, or a regulatory fine. The good news: most breaches exploit a limited set of known mistakes, which the global OWASP foundation has compiled into its "Top 10 Web Application Security Risks."

You don't need to be a programmer to understand this list; knowing it is enough to ask your team or vendor the right questions.

The OWASP Top 10 in brief

1. Broken Access Control: A user reaching what they shouldn't (others' data or the admin panel). The most common and dangerous.
2. Cryptographic Failures: Storing or transmitting sensitive data without proper encryption.
3. Injection: Malicious input that tricks the system into running unintended commands (e.g., SQL injection).
4. Insecure Design: Flaws in the system's design itself, not just the code.
5. Security Misconfiguration: Default settings, open permissions, or error messages that reveal too much.
6. Vulnerable and Outdated Components: Using libraries or plugins with known vulnerabilities.
7. Identification and Authentication Failures: Weak passwords, missing two-factor authentication, or fragile session management.
8. Software and Data Integrity Failures: Trusting updates or sources without verifying their integrity.
9. Security Logging & Monitoring Failures: Not detecting attacks means discovering a breach too late.
10. Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF): Tricking the server into sending requests to internal systems it shouldn't reach.

Security isn't a feature added at the end — it's a foundation built from the very first line.

How do you protect your app in practice?

• Least privilege: Give every user and component only the minimum access it needs.
• Validate every input: Never trust data coming from the user, and validate it on the server, not just the browser.
• Keep updating: Patch libraries and systems as soon as security updates are released.
• Enable 2FA and encryption: For data both in transit and at rest.
• Monitor and log: Watch for suspicious activity and keep logs that enable early detection.
• Test for security: Periodic scans and penetration testing before and after launch.

How Origami helps

At Origami, we build security into the product from the start, not as an afterthought: code reviews, vulnerability scans, precise access control, encryption, and regular updates. Our goal is for your app to be secure by design, so you can rest easy about your customers' data and your reputation.

Official source: The OWASP project — Top 10 Web Application Security Risks (owasp.org).