Application Security Testing: OWASP Top 10, SAST, DAST and SCA Training Course

A01:2025 – Broken Access Control

Access control mechanisms enforce policies to ensure users cannot exceed their intended permissions. Failures in this area often result in unauthorized disclosure, modification, or destruction of data, or the execution of business functions beyond authorized limits.

Practical Aspects

• Real-world examples of broken access control scenarios

• Implementing secure access controls and adopting best practices

A02:2025 – Security Misconfiguration

Security misconfiguration occurs when systems, applications, or cloud services are incorrectly set up from a security standpoint, creating exploitable vulnerabilities.

Practical Aspects

• Analysis of real-world misconfiguration cases

• Preventative measures, including configuration management and the use of automation tools

A03:2025 – Software Supply Chain Failures

Software supply chain failures refer to compromises in the software building, distribution, or update processes. These are frequently caused by vulnerabilities or malicious alterations in third-party code, tools, or dependencies relied upon by the system.

A04:2025 – Cryptographic Failures

In general, all data in transit should be encrypted at the transport layer (OSI layer 4). Historically challenging aspects, such as CPU performance and private key/certificate management, are now mitigated by CPUs with dedicated encryption acceleration instructions (e.g., AES support) and simplified key management services like LetsEncrypt.org, alongside tightly integrated certificate management offered by major cloud providers.

Beyond securing the transport layer, it is crucial to identify data requiring encryption at rest, as well as data needing additional encryption at the application layer (OSI layer 7).

For instance, sensitive data such as passwords, credit card numbers, health records, personal information, and business secrets require enhanced protection, particularly when subject to privacy laws like the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or standards like the PCI Data Security Standard (PCI DSS).

Practical Aspects

• In-depth analysis of cryptographic failures, including weak encryption algorithms and improper key management

• The role of strong cryptographic mechanisms, secure protocols (SSL/TLS), and modern cryptography applications in web security

A05:2025 – Injection

Injection vulnerabilities are system flaws that allow attackers to insert malicious code or commands (such as SQL or shell code) into input fields, tricking the system into executing them as if they were legitimate part of the logic. This can lead to severe consequences.

Practical Aspects

• Comprehensive breakdown of SQL, NoSQL, OS, and LDAP injection techniques

• Mitigation strategies using prepared statements, parameterized queries, and input escaping

A06:2025 – Insecure Design

Insecure design is a broad category representing various weaknesses characterized as “missing or ineffective control design.”

Insecure design is distinct from the root cause of other Top Ten risk categories. It is important to differentiate between design flaws and implementation defects, as they arise at different stages of the development process, have different root causes, and require different remediation approaches.

Even a secure design can suffer from implementation defects that lead to exploitable vulnerabilities. Conversely, an insecure design cannot be resolved by perfect implementation because the necessary security controls were never designed to defend against specific attacks.

A key factor contributing to insecure design is the lack of business risk profiling, leading to an inability to determine the required level of security design.

Practical Aspects

• Exploring design flaws that lead to vulnerabilities, such as improper input validation

• Studying strategies for secure architecture and adhering to secure design principles

A07:2025 – Authentication Failures

This vulnerability exists when an attacker can trick a system into recognizing an invalid or incorrect user as legitimate.

Practical Aspects

• Common authentication issues and pitfalls

• Secure authentication strategies, including multi-factor authentication and proper session handling

A08:2025 – Software or Data Integrity Failures

Software and data integrity failures occur when code or infrastructure fails to protect against invalid or untrusted code and data being treated as trusted and valid.

An example includes applications relying on plugins, libraries, or modules from untrusted sources, repositories, or content delivery networks (CDNs).

Insecure CI/CD pipelines that lack software integrity checks can introduce risks of unauthorized access, malicious code, or system compromise.

Another example is CI/CD systems that pull code or artifacts from untrusted locations and/or fail to verify them (e.g., via signature checks) before use.

Practical Aspects

• Addressing issues such as untrusted software updates and data tampering

• Implementing safe update mechanisms and robust data integrity checks

A09:2025 – Security Logging and Alerting Failures

Without adequate logging and monitoring, attacks and breaches go undetected. Furthermore, without proper alerting, it becomes difficult to respond quickly and effectively to security incidents.

Failures occur whenever there is insufficient logging, continuous monitoring, detection, or alerting to trigger active responses.

Practical Aspects

• The importance of logging security-relevant information and monitoring for suspicious activities

• Utilizing tools and practices for proper logging and real-time monitoring to detect breaches early

A10:2025 – Mishandling of Exceptional Conditions

Mishandling exceptional conditions occurs when programs fail to prevent, detect, or respond to unusual and unpredictable situations, resulting in crashes, unexpected behavior, or vulnerabilities.

This typically involves one or more of the following failings:

• The application fails to prevent an unusual situation from occurring

• The system does not identify the situation while it is happening

• The application responds poorly or not at all to the situation afterward

SAST – Static Application Security Testing

1. Definition of static analysis and optimal timing within the SDLC (shift left)

2. Types of vulnerabilities detectable via SAST, comparing vulnerable versus secure code

3. Overview of SAST tools (e.g., Semgrep, SonarQube, Checkmarx, based on the client's technology stack)

4. Hands-on exercise: Run a SAST scan on a repository with intentional vulnerabilities, interpret results, and triage false positives from real vulnerabilities

DAST – Dynamic Application Security Testing

1. Distinguishing between SAST and DAST, focusing on black-box testing of running applications

2. The DAST scanning workflow, including crawling, fuzzing, and response analysis

3. Overview of DAST tools (e.g., OWASP ZAP, Burp Suite)

4. Hands-on exercise: Execute a DAST scan on a vulnerable test application (e.g., OWASP Juice Shop), then identify and validate the findings

SCA – Software Composition Analysis

1. Risks associated with third-party dependencies and libraries, including inherited vulnerabilities

2. Understanding SBOM (Software Bill of Materials), its definition, and its significance

3. Overview of SCA tools (e.g., Dependency Check, Snyk, GitHub Dependabot)

4. Hands-on exercise: Perform an SCA scan on a real project, identify vulnerable dependencies, and formulate a remediation plan (update, patch, or mitigate)