- ClassificationCategoryApplication SecurityDomainSoftware SecurityFramework FamilyOWASP
- Regulatory ContextTypeGuidanceLegal InstrumentFrameworkSectorTechnology SectorIndustryCross-Industry
- Region / PublisherRegionGlobalRegion DetailGlobalPublisherOpen Web Application Security Project (OWASP)
- VersioningVersion2021 (superseded by OWASP Top 10:2025, final January 2026)Effective Date2021Issue DateSeptember 24, 2021
- AdoptionAdoption ModelOperational SecurityImplementation ComplexityModerate
- Official ReferenceOpen Link in New TabSource
License included / downloadable: Yes
Framework text is licensed by its publisher and is included only where stated above.
Overview
OWASP Top 10:2021 is a web application security framework that highlights the ten most critical security risks facing web applications. Its primary purpose is to help organizations identify, prioritize, and address the most prevalent threats that could compromise application security and expose sensitive data. OWASP Top 10:2025, announced in November 2025 and finalized in January 2026, has since superseded the 2021 list.
Developed and published by the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP), this internationally recognized list is widely used by developers, cybersecurity teams, auditors, and compliance professionals. The framework covers focus areas such as broken access control, cryptographic failures, injection, insecure design, and identification and authentication failures—serving as a foundational resource for secure software development and risk management practices.
In practice, organizations use the OWASP Top 10 as a benchmark for conducting application risk assessments, designing secure coding standards, implementing technical controls, and guiding developer training programs. It is frequently integrated with broader cybersecurity frameworks and compliance initiatives, such as ISO 27001, NIST, and SOC 2, to enhance application security governance and regulatory compliance.
Why it Matters
The OWASP Top 10:2021 framework highlights the most critical web application security risks, guiding organizations in prioritizing and improving their defenses.
Key benefits include:
- Improve application risk awareness
Increase understanding of the most prevalent and impactful web application vulnerabilities, enabling targeted risk mitigation efforts.
- Strengthen security governance
Support structured oversight of application security programs by providing a recognized baseline for various industry compliance and security requirements.
- Enhance secure development practices
Integrate OWASP Top 10 awareness into development and testing workflows to proactively identify and address security weaknesses.
- Improve regulatory compliance
Support compliance with security standards and regulations that reference OWASP Top 10, simplifying audit and assessment processes.
- Promote operational resilience
Reduce exposure to critical web application attacks by implementing targeted controls against the top-cited vulnerabilities cited in real-world breaches.
How it Works
The OWASP Top 10:2021 is structured as a prioritized list of the most critical web application security risks, organized by prevalence, exploitability, and potential impact. Each risk category includes descriptions of the vulnerability, examples of attack scenarios, and mitigation guidance. The framework establishes domains covering application security, authentication, access control, and injection flaws, providing practical guidance for developers, security teams, and auditors.
Organizations apply OWASP Top 10 by mapping identified risks to their applications, prioritizing remediation based on exploitability and impact, and embedding awareness into software development lifecycles. Typical activities include conducting code reviews, vulnerability scanning, penetration testing, and security training to build application security safeguards. Ongoing monitoring and periodic re-assessments help teams maintain a strong security posture against evolving threats within industry standards.
With SmartSuite, teams operationalize OWASP Top 10 compliance by using control libraries aligned to the framework's risk categories, maintaining risk registers linked to identified application vulnerabilities, and establishing remediation workflows. The platform supports evidence collection, compliance tracking, and reporting dashboards that provide visibility into application security status, developing, maintaining, and improving defenses against top web application risks.
Key Elements
- Risk Category Definitions
Organizes prevalent web application security vulnerabilities into ten defined risk categories based on real-world attack data.
- Exploitability and Impact Ratings
Provides structured ratings for each risk category based on prevalence, exploitability, and potential impact on applications.
- Attack Scenario Examples
Describes representative attack scenarios to help organizations understand how each vulnerability manifests in practice.
- Prevention and Mitigation Guidance
Specifies criteria for addressing each risk category through secure development practices and technical security controls.
- Mapping to Security Standards
Establishes connections between OWASP Top 10 categories and recognized security frameworks to support integrated compliance programs.
- Community and Industry Alignment
Reflects consensus-based insights from the global application security community to ensure relevance across diverse technology stacks and industries.
Framework Scope
OWASP Top 10:2021 is used by developers, security teams, and organizations managing web applications and APIs. The framework governs application-layer security awareness and risk prioritization, and is typically adopted when improving application security posture, supporting compliance requirements, or building a baseline for secure software development efforts within industries relying on web applications.
Framework Objectives
OWASP Top 10:2021 provides a foundational reference for managing web application security risks and improving organizational security practices.
Raise awareness of critical web application vulnerabilities and their real-world impact
Strengthen governance and oversight of application security programs
Support regulatory compliance and alignment with recognized security standards
Improve risk management by prioritizing remediation of high-impact application vulnerabilities
Promote audit readiness through structured application security assessment criteria
Enable operational resilience by addressing the most exploitable web application security weaknesses
Framework in Context
OWASP Top 10:2021 serves as a widely recognized baseline for web application security and is commonly referenced alongside OWASP ASVS, NIST SP 800-53, and CWE Top 25. Organizations use it for developer training, application security assessments, compliance evidence, and as a starting point for broader secure development initiatives.
Common Framework Mappings
OWASP Top 10:2021 is commonly mapped to other application security and enterprise security frameworks to integrate web application risks into broader compliance and risk management programs.
Mapped frameworks include:
CWE Top 25
ISO/IEC 27001
ISO/IEC 27034
NIST Cybersecurity Framework
NIST SP 800-53
OWASP ASVS
OWASP SAMM
PCI DSS
SOC 2
How SmartSuite Supports OWASP Top 10:2021
SmartSuite provides the system for managing controls, evidence, mappings, assessments, and reporting.
Manage web application risk against the OWASP Top 10:2021 by tracking each risk category, the controls that address it, and the evidence from testing and remediation in one place.
Top 10 Risk Category Library
Hold the ten 2021 categories (A01 Broken Access Control to A10 SSRF) with the controls, owners, and applications mapped to each.
Application Inventory and Risk Context
Link applications, APIs, and components to the Top 10 categories that apply to them and prioritize by exposure.
Secure Development Workflows
Track secure coding standards, design reviews, and developer training against the categories they address.
Testing and Vulnerability Intake
Capture SAST, DAST, and penetration test findings by category and route them to remediation with due dates.
Remediation and Exception Tracking
Manage fixes, retests, and accepted risks with approvals and an audit trail.
Application Security Reporting
Provide dashboards showing open findings by Top 10 category, remediation status, and trend over time.
Related frameworks
CIS Controls v8.1 provides prioritized, practical security actions to help organizations mitigate common cyber threats and strengthen defenses.
ISO/IEC 27001:2022 is an international ISMS standard that helps organizations manage information security risks and protect data.
ISO/IEC 27002:2022 provides best-practice information security controls to help organizations select, implement, and manage protections for information assets.
ISO/IEC 27017 provides cloud-specific security controls to help organizations protect data and manage cloud-related risks.
MITRE ATT&CK is a knowledge framework documenting adversary tactics and techniques to help organizations detect, analyze, and respond to attacks.
NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) v2.0 is a risk-based framework that helps organizations manage and reduce cybersecurity risks.
Frequently Asked Questions For OWASP Top 10:2021 (The Ten Most Critical Web Application Security Risks)
The OWASP Top 10:2021 is a reference framework that highlights the most critical security risks to web applications. It is used by organizations to identify, understand, and prioritize mitigation of these vulnerabilities as part of their secure development lifecycle. Security teams often use it to guide training, risk assessment, and compliance efforts for web application security.
Compliance with the OWASP Top 10:2021 is not mandated by law, but it is widely recognized as an industry best practice. Some regulatory requirements and contractual obligations may reference the OWASP Top 10 as a baseline for secure coding and application security, especially in sectors like finance and healthcare.
The OWASP Top 10:2021 applies to all web applications, regardless of industry or technology stack. It is designed to be relevant to developers, security professionals, and auditors working to identify and address application-layer security risks during design, development, and deployment.
Key concepts in OWASP Top 10:2021 include vulnerability categories such as injection, identification and authentication failures, and security misconfiguration. Artifacts may include secure coding guidelines, vulnerability assessments, penetration test findings, and policies or checklists to address each risk area.
Implementation involves assessing web applications for each of the ten risk categories, applying technical and organizational controls to remediate identified issues, and establishing continuous monitoring. Examples include input validation, access controls, secure session management, regular code reviews, and automated vulnerability scanning.
The OWASP Top 10:2021 complements security frameworks such as ISO 27001, PCI DSS, and NIST SP 800-53 by providing focused guidance on web application security risks. It can be used to enhance application security controls within broader information security or compliance programs.
SmartSuite helps organizations manage OWASP Top 10:2021 by enabling tracking of risk remediation, control implementation, and evidence collection for each vulnerability category. It supports audit readiness through automated workflows, centralized documentation, and reporting dashboards, ensuring ongoing compliance and facilitating collaboration between security and development teams.
Manage controls, risks, evidence, and audits in one platform designed for modern governance, risk, and compliance.