Top 10 OWASP Vulnerabilities in 2025: What Changed?

The OWASP Top 10 remains the most referenced standard for web application security. The 2025 update reflects a shifting threat landscape—AI-driven attacks, supply chain compromises, and increasingly complex authentication flows are reshaping what teams need to defend against.

What’s New in the 2025 List?

The most significant shift is the elevation of Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) and Software Supply Chain Failures into standalone categories. These were previously subsets of broader vulnerability classes but now warrant dedicated attention due to high-profile breaches in 2024.

A01: Broken Access Control

Still the number one risk. Broken access control moved to the top position in 2021 and remains there. Common patterns include IDOR vulnerabilities, privilege escalation through predictable URL paths, and missing function-level access controls on API endpoints.

A02: Cryptographic Failures

Weak encryption, hardcoded keys, and deprecated algorithms (MD5, SHA-1) continue to plague production systems. In 2025, the focus expands to include improper key rotation and missing encryption-at-rest for PII stored in cloud databases.

A03: Injection

SQL injection, NoSQL injection, and LDAP injection are still prevalent. The 2025 update also highlights prompt injection in LLM-integrated applications as an emerging injection vector that organizations need to address.

A07: SSRF — The Rising Threat

SSRF attacks have surged as organizations adopt microservice architectures and cloud-native infrastructure. Attackers exploit internal-only endpoints, metadata services (e.g., AWS IMDSv1), and internal APIs that lack proper network segmentation.

What Should You Do?

• ◆ Conduct regular penetration tests aligned to the updated OWASP Top 10
• ◆ Integrate SAST/DAST tools into your CI/CD pipeline
• ◆ Train developers on secure coding practices annually
• ◆ Audit third-party dependencies for known CVEs regularly
• ◆ Implement a bug bounty or responsible disclosure program