OWASP Top 10 2025 for SOC 2 startups

Why this matters for SOC 2 teams

OWASP Top 10 is an awareness list, not a SOC 2 law. Still, auditors and enterprise buyers often ask whether you tested common web and API risks. Art of Vector uses OWASP-aligned coverage so findings are easy to explain in SOC 2 Trust Services Criteria conversations.

What changed in 2025 (simple version)

• Supply chain got louder — not just outdated libraries, but the whole path from package install to build and release.
• Error handling is now its own risk — systems that fail loudly or fail open can leak data or open doors.
• SSRF moved under access control — less a standalone headline, more part of “can someone reach things they should not.”
• Basics still win — Broken Access Control and Security Misconfiguration remain near the top.

The OWASP Top 10 2025 in plain English

1. A01: Broken Access Control

   Users can see or change data they should not. Still #1. For SaaS, think IDOR, admin routes, and tenant isolation.

2. A02: Security Misconfiguration

   Defaults left open, debug on in prod, public buckets, weak CORS, missing security headers.

3. A03: Software Supply Chain Failures

   Bigger than “old packages.” Includes malicious dependencies, poisoned updates, and risky CI/CD paths.

4. A04: Cryptographic Failures

   Weak crypto, secrets in the wrong place, or sensitive data sent/stored without proper protection.

5. A05: Injection

   SQL, command, template, or other injection when untrusted input reaches interpreters.

6. A06: Insecure Design

   The product design itself is unsafe—missing threat thinking, unsafe workflows, trust assumptions that break.

7. A07: Authentication Failures

   Login, MFA, password reset, and session handling flaws that let attackers become someone else.

8. A08: Software or Data Integrity Failures

   Code or data can be tampered with—unsafe updates, unsigned artifacts, trust in unverified inputs.

9. A09: Logging & Alerting Failures

   Attacks happen and nobody notices—missing logs, noisy logs, or no alerts on auth abuse.

10. A10: Mishandling of Exceptional Conditions

    New for 2025. Bad error handling that leaks secrets, fails open, or crashes into unsafe states.

What seed–Series A teams should do first

1. Lock down access control and multi-tenant isolation
2. Review login, session, and password-reset flows
3. Clean up prod misconfigurations buyers will spot
4. Know your dependency and CI risk enough to answer questionnaire questions
5. Run a scoped pen test so evidence is ready for audit or deal review

You do not need to “finish OWASP” as a project. You need a tight scope that matches your SOC 2 system boundary and a report engineers can remediate.

How Art of Vector uses this

Our hybrid engagements focus on web apps and APIs with manual testing for business logic and access control, plus AI-assisted coverage for breadth. Reports are written for remediation and for SOC 2 / buyer conversations—not scanner dump PDFs.

• web & API penetration testing
• Pricing
• How to prepare for a SOC 2 pen test

Related pages

• Pen testing vs vulnerability scanning
• What auditors look for in a pen test report
• SOC 2 penetration testing requirements

Official source: OWASP Top 10.

FAQ