OWASP Top 10 Overview – Java Backend Developer Guide

Direct Answer

The OWASP Top 10 is an awareness document that groups major web-application security risks using community data and expert analysis. The current 2025 release covers Broken Access Control, Security Misconfiguration, Software Supply Chain Failures, Cryptographic Failures, Injection, Insecure Design, Authentication Failures, Software or Data Integrity Failures, Security Logging and Alerting Failures, and Mishandling of Exceptional Conditions. It is a starting point for secure design and review, not a complete testing standard or automatic proof of compliance.

Code Example

@RestController
@RequestMapping("/api/orders")
class OrderController {
    private final OrderService orders;

    @GetMapping("/{id}")
    @PreAuthorize("isAuthenticated()")
    OrderDto get(@PathVariable long id, Authentication authentication) {
        return orders.findForUser(id, authentication.getName());
    }
}

@Service
class OrderService {
    private final OrderRepository repository;

    OrderDto findForUser(long id, String username) {
        return repository.findByIdAndUsername(id, username)
            .map(OrderDto::from)
            .orElseThrow(ResourceNotFoundException::new);
    }
}

Authentication alone does not prevent A01. The query scopes the record to the current principal, and the response uses a DTO rather than exposing the entity directly.

Common Mistakes & Pitfalls

• Memorizing Numbers Without Context: Freshers often memorize "A01 is Broken Access Control" but can't spot it in code—like seeing @GetMapping("/admin/users") with no authorization check and not recognizing the vulnerability.
• Thinking Framework Security Config Is Enough: Believing that configuring Spring Security's SecurityFilterChain to require authentication on /api/** prevents all access control issues, when the real risk is horizontal privilege escalation within authenticated requests—user 123 accessing user 456's data.
• Ignoring Production-Specific Risks: Leaving development conveniences enabled in production because "it worked in dev"—like exposing /actuator/env which leaks database passwords and API keys to anyone who discovers the URL.