OWASP top 10: Web Application Security for beginners

[UPDATED in 2021]
Within 1,5 hour you will understand web application security without having to code. This course will jumpstart your security career. 

I will teach you the 10 most common threats identified by the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP). At the end of the course you will learn: 
 
1) what the OWASP top 10 threats and are,
2) the impact per security threat for your business 
3) how these security threats can be executed by attackers / pentesters / hackers
4) how these security threats can be mitigated 

You will able to understand the above-mentioned points without having to understand code…
For your convenience I’ve combined the OWASP 2017 and OWASP 2013 top 10 list into a single list of 10 common web application security threats.

How is that possible?
The threats are explained conceptually, since the implementation of a threat may differ per situation. Therefore, having a general understanding of the security threats, its implications and potential solutions will provide you with the essential knowledge to mitigate the impact of these web application security threats. Hence, no security coding or security testing experience needed.

So, after following this course am I able to develop code-based solutions for the top 10 threats? 
No. This course will teach you the basic concepts behind the 10 most common web application security threats so that you can critically question and discuss these security issues with software/operational engineers.

Uhm, after following this course I’m a full-fledged security expert, right?
Depends on the knowledge of the person that is judging your expertise. Most likely this won’t be the case.  

What!?! Why should I enroll?
Only enroll when you are new to secure coding, secure web development and want a complete beginners’ perspective on web application security. This course is specifically developed for:

– (Project) managers that lead software projects, but have no clue how software engineers could mitigate potential security issues 
– Recruiters hiring software engineers
– Software engineers that want to refresh their knowledge on web application security and secure coding principles
– Beginning red team, blue team, yellow and purple team members, hackers, or penetration testers
– Anyone interested in the basics of web application security or OWASP top 10 explained in layman’s terms

Ok, but there is already a lot of information on OWASP available on the web. So, what’s in it for me?
I thought you would never ask! This course differentiate itself from existing available information because: 
– Existing OWASP documentation is technical and therefore difficult to comprehend (I’ll include some examples of technical documents as a resources that you may download).
– Unlike most other courses, you may actually claim 1 Continuing Professional Education (CPE) after finishing this course completely
– I’ll update this course with new videos on request or as significant security issues surface that have important implications for managers. Thus, over time this course may become your one-stop security education! 
– I’ve included lots of documents that explain detailed mitigation strategies. Please note that these documents contain code and are therefore more suited for people that are implementing or testing security fixes.  
– I’ve included lots of links to websites that provide comprehensive background information. 
– That’s not it, there is more…   

BONUS Material:
– Defense in depth. This is one of the basic security principles.
– Basic explanation of STRIDE (spoofing, tampering, repudiation, information disclosure, denial of service, elevation of privilege). I’ve also added privacy by design resources in this course. This means both security by design and privacy by design!
– Overview of a secure software development process. Build security into you delivery process
– Frequently asked questions. Ask a security question and I’ll answer it with a video.

Why include bonus material, is the main course not exciting enough?
Again, excellent question! Getting security right goes well beyond web application security. With the bonus material, I would like to inform you about the complementary measures that should be taken into account.

I’m fully convinced of the benefits, but I don’t see why I should learn all this from you.
True, let me explain by giving you an overview of my experience:
– Chief Information Security Officer (present). Managing Security, Privacy and Quality professionals. Responsible for implementing and maintaining a well balanced organisational risk posture;
– Security and privacy operations manager (2 years). Acting as a security liaison on strategic accounts, I monitor the security of 2500+ workstations, 500+ servers and 10+ firewalls and routers, report on the operational security status of European and Dutch law and integrate intelligence results from AVDS, Check Point, Nagios, Nessus, Palo Alto Traps,SCCM, SCEP, SEP, SCOM and SIEM;
– Parttime PhD Candidate (7 years – present). I read the science, you’ll get the knowledge! What more do you want? 
– Software quality consultant (6,5 years). I’ve advised many managers of large / small IT projects on various software related aspects; 
– IT auditor (1 year). I have closely worked with accountants and audited large governmental IT projects; 
– Quality assurance engineer (3 years). I have implemented large IT systems for large companies. 

You can find more details on LinkedIn on or my profile.

Go ahead and click the enroll button, and I’ll see you in lesson 1!

Cheers,
Soerin