OwaspEdit
OWASP (Open Web Application Security Project) is a nonprofit organization that aims to improve the security of software through freely available resources, tools, and community-driven projects. Founded in 2001, it has grown into a global network of volunteers, chapters, and contributors who work to make modern software more resilient by addressing common vulnerabilities and risk in a practical, developer-friendly way. Its work spans education, tooling, standards, and guidance that many organizations use to tighten their software before it reaches users. The approach is openly collaborative and oriented toward delivering real-world improvements rather than enforcing rigid compliance regimes. Mark Curphey
Among its most recognizable and influential outputs is the OWASP Top Ten, a periodically refreshed list of the most critical web application security risks. The Top Ten serves as a practical baseline that developers, testers, and security professionals can use to prioritize work and communicate about risk in terms that business stakeholders understand. In addition to the Top Ten, OWASP maintains a wide array of projects and resources, including the OWASP Testing Guide, the OWASP Cheat Sheet Series, the OWASP Software Assurance Maturity Model (SAMM), and the Zed Attack Proxy tool, which is widely used for manual and automated application security testing. Other important offerings include the OWASP ASVS and Threat Dragon for threat modeling, all of which are designed to be accessible to teams of varying sizes and budgets. The breadth of resources reflects OWASP’s commitment to practical security that can be implemented in real-world software development environments. Open Web Application Security Project; OWASP ZAP; OWASP ASVS; Threat Dragon; SAMM
History
OWASP emerged from a community of security practitioners who wanted to share knowledge about software vulnerabilities in an open, vendor-neutral way. The organization formalized its structure around a foundation model to manage funds, governance, and international chapters, enabling sustained work across industries and borders. Over the years, its flagship outputs evolved from early vulnerability catalogs into a structured set of models, guides, and tools designed to help organizations build security into the software development lifecycle. The Top Ten, in particular, has been updated multiple times to reflect changing threat landscapes and technology stacks, ensuring that the guidance remains relevant to contemporary web applications. The evolution also included a broader ecosystem of projects such as the OWASP Cheat Sheet Series and community-driven testing resources, which together chart a path from high-level awareness to concrete, verifiable controls. OWASP Foundation
Core initiatives
OWASP Top Ten: A widely used, risk-based list of the top web application security risks that serves as a starting point for secure design, coding, and testing. It is intentionally pragmatic and technology-agnostic, aimed at enabling teams to focus on high-impact areas. OWASP Top Ten
ASVS (Application Security Verification Standard): A comprehensive framework for verifying the technical security requirements of web and mobile applications, often used to guide testing and procurement decisions. OWASP ASVS
SAMM (Software Assurance Maturity Model): A practical, business-focused model for assessing and improving an organization’s software security posture over time, emphasizing repeatable, timing-based improvements. SAMM
ZAP (Zed Attack Proxy): An integrated set of tools for finding security vulnerabilities in web applications, including automated scanners and interactive testing capabilities. ZAP; OWASP ZAP
Cheat Sheet Series: Concise, actionable best practices for developers across common security topics, designed to be easy to reference during coding and review. OWASP Cheat Sheet Series
Testing Guide: A structured guide for performing comprehensive security testing of web applications, integrating with the Top Ten and other OWASP resources. OWASP Testing Guide
Threat modeling and related tools: Resources such as Threat Dragon to help teams anticipate and mitigate threats during design and development. Threat Dragon
Dependency and software composition analysis: Projects and guidance that help identify and manage vulnerable libraries and components used in software. Software Composition Analysis
Governance and funding
OWASP operates as a global, volunteer-driven foundation with chapters around the world. Its governance emphasizes openness, collaboration, and the distribution of resources to accelerate practical security improvements in diverse software ecosystems. Funding comes from a mix of donations, sponsorships, and partnerships with industry participants who support the maintenance of core projects and events. Because it relies on volunteers and community input, the outputs are designed to be adaptable rather than prescriptive, allowing organizations of different sizes to adopt measures that fit their risk profile. OWASP Foundation
Controversies and debates
Like many widely adopted open-source security efforts, OWASP faces debates about scope, pace, and influence. Key points of contention include:
Scope and representation: Some observers argue that the Top Ten and related projects focus heavily on web applications and common open-source stacks, potentially underemphasizing risks in mobile apps, cloud-native architectures, and supply-chain security. Proponents respond that the strengths of OWASP lie in practical, widely applicable guidance that teams can implement now, while warnings about neglected areas are addressed in more specialized projects. OWASP Top Ten
Risk-based guidance vs. checklist culture: Critics contend that a checklist mentality can mislead teams into treating security as a box-checking exercise rather than integrating risk-based thinking into design and architecture. Advocates counter that checklists, when used thoughtfully, are an efficient way to bootstrap a broader secure development process, especially in organizations with limited security expertise. The debate centers on how to balance quick wins with deeper, process-level improvements. Secure coding; DevSecOps
Open governance and corporate sponsorship: The open, volunteer-driven model invites broad input but can raise concerns about the influence of corporate sponsors. Supporters argue that industry involvement helps keep guidance current with real-world development practices, while maintaining transparency and community oversight. The bottom line, in this view, is that practical, battle-tested guidance improves security outcomes more reliably than top-down mandates. OWASP Foundation
Standards vs. standards bodies: Some critics claim OWASP guidance lacks the formal authority of a regulated standard, which can limit adoption in highly regulated sectors. Others point out that the value of OWASP guidance lies in its adaptability and cost-effectiveness, enabling organizations to implement meaningful protections without costly certification processes. This tension reflects a broader policy question about how best to achieve security at scale in dynamic software markets. OWASP Top Ten
woke criticisms and response: Critics sometimes argue that security guidance should prioritize efficiency over social or organizational politics, while proponents note that open, inclusive communities should not be pressured to conform to any political orthodoxy. In this framing, the core argument is about delivering real risk reduction and practical controls, not policing culture. Supporters stress that the open process helps ensure guidance reflects real-world needs and is not captured by any single agenda. The practical takeaway is that risk reduction and responsible software development—when done through open collaboration—tends to produce better security outcomes than rigid, ideology-driven mandates. Open Web Application Security Project