How do you prioritize security testing for the OWASP top 10 risks?

1. **Injection** 2. **Broken Authentication** 3. **Sensitive Data Exposure** 4. **XML External Entities (XXE)** 5. **Broken Access Control** 6. **Security Misconfiguration** 7. **Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)** 8. **Insecure Deserialization** 9. **Using Vulnerable Components** 10. **Insufficient Logging & Monitoring**

The OWASP Top 10 are the most critical web application security risks. Knowing these will help you prioritize security testing. These risks include: 1. Injection – Attackers send malicious data to exploit and control a system. 2. Broken Authentication – Applications fail to properly authenticate users. 3. Sensitive Data Leakage – Private data is not adequately protected. 4. XML External Entities (XXE) – Allowing unauthorized code execution via malicious XML input. 5. Broken Access Control – Users can access data or actions they shouldn’t. 6. Security Misconfiguration – Improper application settings can leave vulnerabilities. 7. Cross-site Scripting (XSS) – Attackers inject harmful scripts into web pages.

Below is the list of OWASP TOP 10 Vulnerabilities- 1. Broken Access Control 2. Cryptographic Failures 3. Injection 4. Insecure Design 5. Security Misconfiguration 6. Vulnerable and Outdated Components 7. Identification and Authentication Failures 8. Software and Data Integrity Failures 9. Security Logging and Monitoring Failures 10. Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF)

To prioritize security testing for the OWASP Top 10 risks, first, learn about these common security problems in web applications. Then, check your app to see which risks apply to it the most. Focus on the ones that could cause the biggest problems, like injection flaws or broken authentication. Use a mix of manual and automated tests to find and fix these issues. Keep testing regularly to stay protected against these common vulnerabilities.

Dedicate more resources to testing the most critical vulnerabilities. For example, allocate more time to access control and injection testing if these are determined to be high priority.

To figure out how serious each risk is, take a look at what kind of damage an attacker could do if they manage to exploit a weakness (that's the impact), and how likely it is that they'll actually pull it off (that's the likelihood). Impact can mean stuff like losing data, money, reputation, or even facing legal issues. Likelihood takes into account how easy it is to exploit a vulnerability, looking at things like how complicated it is, how exposed it is, and the attacker’s skills and motivation. One easy way to handle this is to use a scoring system or matrix to rank risks from low to high based on their impact and likelihood. Focus on tackling the high-impact, high-likelihood risks first, and you can deal with the lower ones later.

Data theft and unauthorized access have high impacts and are top priorities due to significant potential damage and moderate to high likelihoods. Reputation damage and legal liability also pose high risks with severe impacts. Fraud, service downtime, and denial of service attacks have moderate impacts, with varying likelihoods. Compliance violations, though moderate in likelihood, require high priority due to their serious consequences.

When you're setting up security tests, start by figuring out which risks are the most serious and likely to happen. Put more effort and time into testing the high-priority risks that could really cause trouble or are simple to take advantage of. You should still check the lower-priority risks, but you can use less time and resources for those. Use the right testing methods, like checking the code, testing the app while it runs, trying out attacks, reviewing the code, or using vulnerability scanners. Once you're done testing, jot down the results clearly, point out any vulnerabilities you find, and share some suggestions for fixing them. This helps tackle the most important issues first while keeping everything secure.

Develop a testing plan focusing on high priority vulnerabilities. Set up a representative testing environment and execute both automated and manual security tests. Analyze the results to identify the document vulnerabilities and retest to ensure fixes, so that it continuously improve the process based on new threats and lessons learned.

Create a testing strategies that targets the most critical security risks first. Begin by establishing a realistic testing environment that mirrors the production setup. Execute both automated and manual tests, focusing on high-impact vulnerabilities just like broken access control and injection flaws. Carefully analyze the results, document the findings, and collaborate with developers to address any issues. Re-test after fixes are implemented to verify their effectiveness, and continuously update the strategy based on emerging threats and insights gained from past tests.

To effectively safeguard our application, we must prioritize security tests based on risk impact and likelihood. By focusing our resources on high-impact areas like data theft and unauthorized access, we ensure that our defenses are robust where they matter most. Leveraging tools like penetration testing and vulnerability scanners will uncover critical vulnerabilities, allowing us to address them swiftly. Thorough documentation and clear remediation recommendations will guide our efforts in fortifying our security posture.

Security testing should be an ongoing thing that keeps up with any changes in your app and new threats. Make sure to regularly check and tweak your security testing plan to fit any new features or updates that could create vulnerabilities. Stay in the loop about the latest security risks beyond just the OWASP Top 10 and adjust your tests as needed. Check out how well your testing is working by looking at past results and feedback to make things better over time. This way, you can keep your security measures solid as your app changes and new threats pop up in the cybersecurity world.

Security testing must evolve alongside our applications and the threat landscape. Regularly revisiting and updating our strategy ensures we adapt to new vulnerabilities and emerging risks beyond the OWASP top 10. By continuously monitoring, incorporating feedback, and refining our methods, we enhance both the effectiveness and efficiency of our testing. This dynamic approach keeps us ahead of potential threats and fortifies our defenses, ensuring robust protection over time.

Also, We need to Ensure that these test cases are updated, reviewed frequently, design in such a way that it detects both common and advanced attack vectors associated with each vulnerability

Along with the main security testing process, it's super important to create a security-first vibe within your development team. Get developers, testers, and security pros to work together so that building secure apps becomes second nature. Just look at the 2017 Equifax breach, it's a clear reminder of how ignoring known vulnerabilities can result in huge data losses, financial hits, and legal troubles. Think about adding security at every step of the development process (that's what they call DevSecOps) and make sure security checks are happening all the time. Keeping your team up to date with regular training on new threats and vulnerabilities will help them stay ready for the ever-changing world of cybersecurity.

In a bioinformatics platform development project, we used Static Application Security Testing (SAST) to prioritise testing for Insecure Deserialization and Insecure Design risks at the code level. This enabled us to identify vulnerabilities early in the development cycle, such as insecure object deserialization in an API function. Addressing this issue before the code went into production saved significant time and reduced the risk of exposing the application to attacks. SAST is vital for early detection of security vulnerabilities, ensuring that issues are resolved in the development phase rather than in production.