Securing Web Applications: A Practical Approach to Mitigating OWASP Top 10 Vulnerabilities
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21015/vtse.v13i2.2145Abstract
The exponential growth of online platforms and application has made us believe that securing web apps is more important to mitigate attacks viz., data breaches, frauds, unauthorized access etc. But web applications are still vulnerable in a number of ways that can be abused by attackers. In this context, we propose a pipeline to identify and reduce security threats in web applications, focusing on the OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities — highly publicized risks with clear exploitation vector; namely: injection attacks, broken authentication, sensitive data exposure or cross-site scripting. For every vulnerability, we cover them with practical demonstrations by using BeeWAP (Beehive's Educational Web Application Platform), an intentionally vulnerable web application for the Web testing and security education purpose. The vulnerabilities are analyzed based on real-world contexts in BeeWAP platform, which helps to assess the implications of web application security. We are using techniques of standard tools like Burp Suite to find these weak points and also implementing countermeasures, hence gives an all-in-one manual focused on securing applications from threats.
It elaborates a methodology to identify vulnerabilities, perform risk analysis to develop security models that respond specifically to the identified OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities. In this paper, we demonstrate real-time risk mitigation by simulating common attack vectors and showing the resulting insight into good practices for securing web applications. In this direction, the present paper tries to step forward towards reconciliation between theory and practice, by providing a structured model that represents a compromise that security personnel and developers can use directly in order to improve defensive capability in applications. More specifically, our results emphasize the importance of constant vulnerability testing and continual training of cybersafety measures on protected infrastructures. These practices, when enacted by developers, can bolster defenses against the ever-evolving nature of cyber threats and ultimately lead to more trustworthy and reliable web applications.
References
J. Fonseca et al., "An Empirical Study on Web Security Vulnerabilities," *Journal of Web Security*, vol. 5, no. 3, pp. 130–141, 2014.
D. Sánchez et al., "Improving Cybersecurity Education Through Practical Training Platforms: The Case of BeeWAP," *Cybersecurity Education Journal*, vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 78–92, 2018.
PortSwigger, "Burp Suite Documentation," 2023. [Online]. Available: https://portswigger.net/burp/documentation
R. Amin and K. Smith, "Effectiveness of Automated Tools in Web Application Vulnerability Detection," *International Journal of Cybersecurity Research*, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 45–56, 2020.
H. Ali and A. Hassan, "Challenges in Cybersecurity Education: Bridging the Theory-Practice Gap," *Cybersecurity and Development Journal*, vol. 8, no. 4, pp. 55–70, 2022.
M. Chowdhury and F. Zulkernine, "Integrating Secure Coding Practices into the SDLC," *Software Security Review*, vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 120–137, 2017.
S. Patel, "Automated Vulnerability Scanners and Their Limitations in Web Security," *Cyber Defense Technology*, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 88–99, 2021.
Cybersecurity Ventures, "Security Challenges for Small and Medium Enterprises," *SME Security Insights*, vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 30–42, 2023.
L. Williams, "Security Awareness and Its Impact on Vulnerability Management in Small Businesses," *Journal of Cybersecurity*, vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 101–118, 2023.
R. Martin and J. Grant, "Securing Web Applications: Best Practices for Developers and Organizations," *Journal of Cybersecurity and Privacy*, vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 71–85, 2020.
V. Srinivasan and R. Gupta, "Evaluating the Effectiveness of Automated Vulnerability Scanners in Real-World Environments," *Cybersecurity Research and Applications*, vol. 11, no. 4, pp. 235–248, 2019.
M. Hassan and R. Kaur, "Security Testing in Web Applications: Approaches and Techniques," *International Journal of Information Security*, vol. 17, no. 1, pp. 43–59, 2021.
K. Lee and J. Park, "The Role of Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment in Secure Web Development," *Journal of Software Engineering and Security*, vol. 13, no. 2, pp. 124–139, 2020.
P. Sharma and V. Kumar, "Security Awareness Programs for Developers: A Critical Component in Mitigating Web Application Vulnerabilities," *Journal of Cybersecurity Education*, vol. 6, no. 3, pp. 102–115, 2021.
O. O. Efuntade, A. O. Efuntade, and FCIB, FCA, “Application programming interface (API) and management of web-based accounting information system (AIS): Security of transaction processing system, general ledger and financial reporting system,” Journal of Accounting and Financial Management, vol. 9, no. 6, pp. 1–18, 2023.
C. Pereira, A. Marto, R. Ribeiro, A. Gonçalves, N. Rodrigues, C. Rabadão, R. L. C. Costa, and L. Santos, “Security and privacy in physical–digital environments: Trends and opportunities,” Future Internet, vol. 17, no. 2, p. 83, 2025.
Ö. Aslan, S. S. Aktuğ, M. Ozkan-Okay, A. A. Yilmaz, and E. Akin, “A comprehensive review of cyber security vulnerabilities, threats, attacks, and solutions,” Electronics, vol. 12, no. 6, p. 1333, 2023.
A. Hoffman, Web Application Security. Sebastopol, CA, USA: O’Reilly Media, Inc., 2024.
D. Saha, S. Tarek, K. Yahyaei, S. K. Saha, J. Zhou, M. Tehranipoor, and F. Farahmandi, “LLM for SOC security: A paradigm shift,” IEEE Access, 2024.
T. Mazhar, D. B. Talpur, T. A. Shloul, Y. Y. Ghadi, I. Haq, I. Ullah, K. Ouahada, and H. Hamam, “Analysis of IoT security challenges and its solutions using artificial intelligence,” Brain Sciences, vol. 13, no. 4, p. 683, 2023.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-By) that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License CC BY
