Learning About OWASP Visit The OWASP Website Using Word ✓ Solved

Learning About OWASP Visit the OWASP Website Using WORD

1) Learning About OWASP Visit the OWASP website. Using WORD, write an ORIGINAL brief essay of 300 words or more describing the history and background of OWASP. See the Vulnerabilities tab. Choose one of the vulnerabilities on the linked page and describe briefly. Safe Assign is software that verifies the originality of your work against on-line sources and other students.

2) Do a bit of research on CWE, Common Weakness Enumeration. Write a brief overview of their scoring system. Pick one of common weaknesses identified on their site and describe it. Your assignment should be of your own words with references and citations.

Paper For Above Instructions

The Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) is a non-profit organization founded in 2001 with the primary goal of improving the security of software globally. It started as a community project that offered freely available articles, methodologies, documentation, tools, and technologies related to web application security. OWASP aims to educate and empower developers and organizations to create secure software and mitigate the risks associated with vulnerabilities. Through its various projects, OWASP has produced numerous resources, including the well-known OWASP Top Ten list, which highlights the ten most critical web application security risks. This list serves as a foundational framework for organizations aiming to secure their applications.

One of the prominent vulnerabilities identified by OWASP in the latest Top Ten list is "Injection." Injection vulnerabilities occur when an attacker is able to send untrusted data to an interpreter as part of a command or query. This can allow the attacker to manipulate the execution of commands or queries, result in the unauthorized access of data, or even lead to full system compromise. Common types of injection attacks include SQL injection, where attackers can execute arbitrary SQL code, and OS command injection, where they can execute arbitrary commands on the operating system. Protecting against injection vulnerabilities generally involves using prepared statements, stored procedures, and input validation to ensure that inputs are handled safely.

Moving on to the Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE), it is a community-developed list of software and hardware weakness types maintained by the MITRE Corporation. CWE serves as a reference point for developers and organizations to understand various weaknesses that can exist within software and systems. Each entry in the CWE list has an assigned unique identifier and includes a description, potential consequences, typical contexts, and examples of the weakness.

The CWE scoring system is designed to quantify the severity and impact of a weakness. It often includes metrics such as the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) scores, which provides a numeric value ranging from 0 to 10 based on the severity of an exploit. This enables organizations to assess the potential impact of each weakness and prioritize remediation and prevention efforts accordingly.

One common weakness identified by CWE is "Improper Input Validation." This weakness occurs when an application does not properly validate, sanitize, or filter the inputs it receives. As a result, this can lead to various types of attacks, including injection attacks, buffer overflows, and other security vulnerabilities. Proper input validation is crucial in preventing attackers from sending malicious data to an application, which could exploit vulnerabilities.

To mitigate the risk associated with improper input validation, organizations should implement rigorous validation controls throughout the software development lifecycle. This includes using whitelisting techniques, where only explicitly permitted inputs are accepted, and employing robust error handling and logging mechanisms to detect and respond to suspicious activities promptly.

In conclusion, both OWASP and CWE play critical roles in enhancing cybersecurity awareness and resilience. OWASP focuses on providing resources and methodologies for securing web applications, while CWE offers a standardized classification of software weaknesses that informs developers and stakeholders about potential security risks. Understanding these frameworks is essential for any organization seeking to enhance its cybersecurity posture and protect its software from vulnerabilities and attacks.

References

  • OWASP. (2021). OWASP Top Ten. Available at: https://owasp.org/www-project-top-ten/
  • OWASP. (2023). OWASP Foundation. Available at: https://owasp.org/
  • MITRE Corporation. (2021). Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE). Available at: https://cwe.mitre.org/
  • SWIFT. (2021). Security Controls: Mitigating the Risks with Strong Authentication. Available at: https://www.swift.com/standards/security-controls
  • NIST. (2020). National Institute of Standards and Technology. Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity. Available at: https://www.nist.gov/cyberframework
  • OWASP. (2023). A5:2021-Broken Access Control. Available at: https://owasp.org/www-project-top-ten/
  • SANS Institute. (2022). The Top 25 Most Dangerous Software Errors. Available at: https://www.sans.org/white-papers/33926/
  • CWE. (2023). CWE-20: Improper Input Validation. Available at: https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/20.html
  • OWASP. (2020). A3:2017-Sensitive Data Exposure. Available at: https://owasp.org/www-project-top-ten/
  • OWASP. (2023). Secure Coding Practices - 10 Secure Coding Guidelines. Available at: https://owasp.org/www-project-secure-coding-practices/

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