Insights
The OWASP Top 10 Checklist We Run on Every Build
Every web and application build at LevelUp Softwares Studio is checked against the OWASP Top 10 — the ten most critical web application security risk categories, maintained by the Open Worldwide Application Security Project — before it deploys. Below is what each category actually means, in plain terms.
Broken Access Control
Users able to act outside their intended permissions — viewing or editing another account's data, or reaching admin routes without authorization. Checked with explicit, server-side permission checks on every request, not just hidden UI.
Cryptographic Failures
Sensitive data (passwords, tokens, personal data) stored or transmitted without proper encryption. Checked with hashed passwords, HTTPS everywhere, and no sensitive data in logs or client-side storage.
Injection
Untrusted input executed as code — SQL injection, XSS and similar. Checked with parameterized queries, output encoding and a strict Content Security Policy.
Insecure Design
Security gaps baked into the architecture itself, not just the code. Checked at the design stage — threat modeling before build, not a patch afterward.
Security Misconfiguration
Default credentials, verbose error messages, unnecessary open ports or permissive CORS. Checked with hardened defaults and a security headers policy (HSTS, X-Frame-Options, etc.) at the CDN/server layer.
Vulnerable and Outdated Components
Shipping known-vulnerable dependencies. Checked with dependency auditing and keeping the stack (React, Node.js, npm packages) current.
Identification and Authentication Failures
Weak session handling, predictable tokens, missing rate limits on login. Checked with secure session/token handling and brute-force protection.
Software and Data Integrity Failures
Trusting code or data from an unverified source — an unpinned CI/CD step, an unsigned update. Checked with verified build pipelines and pinned dependencies.
Security Logging and Monitoring Failures
Breaches that go unnoticed because nothing was logged or alerted on. Checked with monitoring on the production deployment, not just uptime checks.
Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF)
A server tricked into making requests to internal or unintended destinations. Checked by validating and allow-listing any server-side outbound requests.
Why this runs on every build, not just security-tagged ones
Most client sites don't think of themselves as a security target — but a broken access control bug or an unpatched dependency doesn't care what the site is for. Running the same checklist on every build, rather than only when a client explicitly asks for "security," is what keeps a five-page marketing site and a fintech web app held to the same baseline.
Frequently asked
Is OWASP Top 10 compliance an add-on or included by default?
It's included by default on every build, not sold separately — see it listed under "What sets our builds apart" on the homepage.
Does this replace a formal penetration test?
No — it's a development-time checklist and code review practice. For regulated or high-risk products, a third-party penetration test is a separate, complementary step.