Match the OWASP resource to the question. The Top 10 raises awareness of common risks. ASVS gives verification requirements for web applications. SAMM measures a software security program. Dependency-Check and Dependency-Track are open source tools for finding and tracking vulnerable components. They answer different questions and are not substitutes.
The map
Top 10: what should our developers know about? OWASP calls it a standard awareness document that represents a broad consensus about the most critical web application risks. The current edition is 2025. Use it for training and shared vocabulary. See how the list is built.
ASVS: what must this application do, and how do we test it? The project describes it as a basis for testing technical security controls and a list of requirements for secure development, with 5.0.0 as the latest version. Use it for requirement sets and test plans.
SAMM: how mature is our program, and what next? It is a self assessment model with five business functions, fifteen practices and three maturity levels per practice. Use it to set targets and a roadmap. See ASVS or SAMM.
Dependency-Check: which of our dependencies match known CVEs? An SCA tool suite that infers CPE identifiers from collected evidence, with a command line, build plugins and CI integrations. See how it decides.
Dependency-Track: across all our applications, who is affected? A platform built around the SBOM, ingesting CycloneDX and tracking components against vulnerability feeds. See scanner or platform.
Common mix-ups
- Using the Top 10 as a test plan. It is a list of risk categories, not a set of testable requirements.
- Using SAMM as a requirement list. It measures a program, not an application.
- Treating a tool's name as a stamp of approval. The tools are community projects with their own limits, and the Dependency-Check page itself describes inferring identifiers from evidence.
- Quoting a framework without a version. The Top 10 has 2017, 2021 and 2025 editions, and ASVS has had major revisions.
Using several together
A simple sequence: train developers on the Top 10, set application requirements from ASVS, use SAMM once a year to see whether the program is improving, and use a component tool to keep the inventory honest. Each step feeds the next, and none of them needs a purchase to start.
What OWASP resources cannot do
They do not certify anything. A product described as aligned with an OWASP resource has made its own mapping claim. Ask what the mapping is and how you would verify it.
Where Safeguard fits
Safeguard offers SBOM and dependency scanning, compliance and evidence automation, and a free scan at gold.safeguard.sh/scan if you want to compare with an open source tool on your own repository.
Quick check
Is the Top 10 a standard to certify against?
OWASP calls it an awareness document. There is no certification attached.
Which one measures an organization rather than an application?
SAMM, which is a self assessment maturity model for a software security program.
Sources
- OWASP Top 10 project
- OWASP ASVS project
- OWASP SAMM about page
- OWASP Dependency-Check
- Dependency-Track
Last reviewed: 19 October 2026.
