Check the edition your training cites. OWASP's project page says the most current released version is the OWASP Top 10 2025. If your slides or vendor labs still cite an older edition without comment, review them against the current list, then add your own findings on top.
Definitions
The OWASP Top 10 is an awareness document listing the most critical web application security risks, produced by the OWASP community and revised periodically. It is a starting point for education, not a complete standard. A new edition changes category names, order and sometimes scope.
A six step currency check
- Find the edition. Open your training material and search for "Top 10". Note the year.
- Compare it with the current release on the OWASP project page. At the time of our review that was 2025.
- Map old category names to the new ones. Our fetch of the project page did not list the category names, so use the linked 2025 documentation for the full list rather than relying on memory.
- Look for gaps: topics added in the new edition that your content never mentions.
- Look for relics: advice tied to a technology no one on your team uses.
- Check dates on labs, screenshots and code samples.
What the result means
| Finding | Action |
|---|---|
| Cites the current edition, labs updated | Keep, note the review date |
| Cites an older edition, content still sound | Add a short note on what changed and plan an update |
| Cites an older edition, labs use dead frameworks | Replace or rebuild the labs |
| No edition cited | Ask the author or vendor what it follows |
Do not stop at the list
OWASP positions the Top 10 as awareness. For deeper secure coding guidance, the OWASP Developer Guide is described as an initial reference for application and system developers across web, desktop, mobile, API and cloud. The older Secure Coding Practices Quick Reference Guide is archived, with its content moved into the Developer Guide, so check that your checklists do not point at a retired page.
Put your own data first
A global list tells you what is common across many applications. Your scanner output and review comments tell you what is common in yours. Teach to the overlap. Our post on turning findings into training topics shows how.
Set a review rhythm
Add a calendar check each time OWASP publishes a new edition, and an annual review regardless. Record the date on the training page.
Try it yourself
Click through it at your own pace, or open it full screen. Look at how findings on a running web app point to the same classes of flaw that awareness lists describe.
Where Safeguard fits
Safeguard provides vulnerability and dependency scanning, which shows what your own code and packages actually contain. A free scan is available.
Quick check
Is the OWASP Top 10 a compliance requirement?
Not by itself. Some standards and customers refer to it, so check the document that asks you.
How often does the list change?
OWASP revises it periodically, not on a fixed schedule we could confirm. Watch the project page.
Sources
- OWASP Top 10 project page
- OWASP Developer Guide
- OWASP Secure Coding Practices Quick Reference Guide (archived)
Last reviewed: 19 October 2026.
