OWASP Top 10: 2025 Release Candidate– What’s New and Why These Risks Matter for Every Enterprise

Cyber threats in 2025 have become more advanced, more automated, and harder to detect. With the rise of remote work, frontline mobility, and distributed applications, organizations face a much broader attack surface than ever before. The OWASP Top 10: 2025 Release Candidate list helps enterprises understand the most critical web-application risks shaping today’s cybersecurity landscape.

Although the list focuses on web and application security, many of these risks originate from weak device configurations, unsecured endpoints, or poor access controls—making them just as relevant to IT and mobility leaders.

Below is an updated overview of the OWASP Top 10: 2025 risks and why each one demands serious attention.

OWASP Top 10: 2025 Release Candidate—Explained 

A01:2025 – Broken Access Control

Access control failures allow attackers to act as users or admins, view sensitive information, or perform actions they shouldn’t be allowed to do.
Why it matters: A single misconfigured permission can lead to data exposure, privilege escalation, or manipulation of critical business data.

A02:2025 – Security Misconfiguration

Incorrect default settings, unnecessary features, open ports, or inconsistent security policies create exploitable gaps.
Why it matters: Misconfigurations remain one of the most common causes of breaches because attackers constantly scan for these weaknesses.

A03:2025 – Software Supply Chain Failures

Applications often rely on third-party or open-source components, and an attack on any link in the chain can compromise the entire system.
Why it matters: Supply chain attacks (like SolarWinds or malicious app updates) can bypass traditional security defenses and spread widely before detection.

A04:2025 – Cryptographic Failures

Weak, outdated, or missing encryption exposes sensitive data—both in transit and at rest.
Why it matters: Without proper cryptography, attackers can intercept data, manipulate communications, or steal authentication tokens.

A05:2025 – Injection

Poorly sanitized inputs allow attackers to execute malicious commands or manipulate applications.
Why it matters: Injection attacks (like SQL, LDAP, and command injection) remain one of the fastest ways for attackers to access databases or take control of systems.

A06:2025 – Insecure Design

This refers to applications built without security modeled into the architecture, workflows, or business logic.
Why it matters: Insecure design cannot be patched easily and often requires expensive redesigns — making it one of the most dangerous long-term risks.

A07:2025 – Authentication Failures

Weak authentication mechanisms enable attackers to impersonate users or access sensitive systems.
Why it matters: Poor password policies, missing MFA, shared passwords for common login, or insecure session management directly lead to account takeovers and large-scale breaches.

A08:2025 – Software or Data Integrity Failures

Systems fail to verify the integrity of code, updates, or sensitive data.
Why it matters: Attackers can inject malicious updates, alter critical data, or exploit devices that have been tampered with or rooted/jailbroken.

A09:2025 – Logging & Alerting Failures

Insufficient logging and slow or missing alerting mechanisms allow threats to go undetected.
Why it matters: Without proper logs or real-time alerts, breaches can remain unnoticed for months — increasing damage and recovery costs

A10:2025 – Mishandling of Exceptional Conditions

Systems fail to process unexpected states, errors, or overload conditions.
Why it matters: Crashes, unstable behavior, and unhandled exceptions can open the door for attackers to exploit system weaknesses.

Why These Risks Are More Dangerous in 2025

• Enterprises now rely on hyper-distributed infrastructure — mobile devices, IoT sensors, cloud apps, remote endpoints, and on-premise systems.
• The average attack surface has tripled in size over the past five years.
• Attackers are using AI-powered tools to scan, exploit, and automate attacks faster than humans can respond.
• A single misconfigured device or app can expose entire corporate networks.

This makes the OWASP Top 10:2025 list not just relevant for developers, but equally critical for:

• IT administrators
• Security teams
• Mobility and device managers
• Compliance and governance leaders

How 42Gears Helps Enterprises Address These OWASP Risks

While the OWASP Top 10 focuses on application-level vulnerabilities, many risks escalate due to poorly managed or insecure endpoints.
This is where 42Gears’ Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) platform becomes essential.

Here’s how 42Gears helps strengthen enterprise security:

Strengthens Access Control (A01:2025)

• Supports secure role-based admin access through User Management with LAPS, automated BitLocker/FileVault key management, Android containerization to prevent credential misuse and unauthorized access, and role-based access control for IT administrators managing devices.
• Device lockdown (kiosk/single-app mode)
• Network and application access restrictions
• Applies consistent policies across all endpoints

Ensures Consistent Configuration (A02:2025)

• Pushes secure configuration templates
• Disables unsafe settings (USB, hotspot, debugging)
• Enforces compliance during auto-enrollment
• Ensures devices comply with standard security baselines

Protects Against Supply Chain Risks (A03:2025)

• Deploys apps from trusted sources only
• Blocks unauthorized or tampered applications
• Ensures secure, controlled OS and app updates
• Distributes verified and trusted software packages

Enforces Strong Cryptography (A04:2025)

• Mandatory device encryption
• Secure VPN, Wi-Fi, and certificate configurations
• Automated certificate rotation
• Automatically rotates BitLocker recovery keys to prevent reuse or unauthorized decryption.
• Enforces FileVault disk encryption with secure key management for macOS devices.
• Uses Android Work Profile to isolate and encrypt corporate data separately from personal apps.

Reduces Exposure to Injection-Based Exploits (A05:2025)

• Runs only verified, policy-approved apps
• Blocks side-loaded or risky applications
• Restricts browser access using lockdown policies
• Reduces attack surface by locking down device settings

Supports Secure-by-Design Principles (A06:2025)

• Uniform security policies across devices
• Threat analytics dashboards
• Remote device testing with Private Device Farm

Strengthens Authentication (A07:2025)

• Enforces biometrics, PIN, and strong password rules
• Auto-lock and wipe on suspicious activity
• SSO and identity provider integrations
• Strengthens access security with SureIDP centralized authentication and Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) to prevent unauthorized logins and identity-based attacks.

Ensures Software & Data Integrity (A08:2025)

• App integrity checks: Make sure apps haven’t been tampered with. Detects rooted/jailbroken devices and blocks them
• Blocks rooted/jailbroken devices: Stops unsafe or altered devices from being used.Ensures no tampered or unauthorized software runs on devices
• Secure backups and remote wipe: Protects data by backing it up safely and erasing it remotely if needed.

Enhances Logging & Alerting (A09:2025)

• Real-time device logs
• Instant alerts for policy violations
• SIEM integration for central monitoring
• Enables continuous visibility across all endpoints

Handles Exceptional Conditions Securely (A10:2025)

• Auto-restart and self-healing scripts
• Fallback configurations when devices fail compliance
• Remote troubleshooting (remote screen control and file management with logs)

Conclusion

The OWASP Top 10:2025 Release Candidate clearly shows one thing—security must be continuous, intelligent, and Zero Trust-aligned. That’s exactly what 42Gears delivers.

With UEM for complete endpoint governance, organizations can eliminate vulnerabilities caused by misconfigurations, outdated software, poor access control, and insecure design. Adding SureAccess (ZTNA) builds a security layer that verifies every user and device before granting access, significantly reducing the most critical OWASP risks.

When combined with secure network enforcement, automated patching, real-time compliance checks, and integrity protection, 42Gears becomes a complete ecosystem to secure your devices and applications—end to end.

This is how modern enterprises stay resilient and OWASP-ready.