OWASP Top 10 and Microsoft: Practical Implementation Guide

A01: Broken Access Control

The Problem: Users gain access to resources or functions they shouldn’t have access to.
Microsoft Solutions:

  • ASP.NET Core: Use the [Authorize] attribute and policies:

    csharp
    [Authorize(Roles = "Admin")]
    public IActionResult AdminDashboard() => View();

  • Claims-based Authorization: Base access on user claims like Department = HR.

  • Azure RBAC and NSG: Assign roles at the subscription/resource level and use NSGs to restrict traffic.

  • App Service Authentication (EasyAuth): Enable built-in auth via Azure AD.

A02: Cryptographic Failures

The Problem: Weak or misconfigured encryption practices.
Microsoft Solutions:

  • Data Protection API (.NET Core):

    csharp
    var protector = _provider.CreateProtector("Token");
    var protectedPayload = protector.Protect("mySecret");

  • Azure Key Vault: Store keys, secrets, and certificates securely using Managed Identity.

  • JWT with RS256: Use Microsoft.IdentityModel.Tokens and validate signatures using public keys.

A03: Injection

The Problem: User input is interpreted as code (SQL, HTML, LDAP, etc.).
Microsoft Solutions:

  • Entity Framework Core (safe query):

    csharp
    var user = db.Users.Where(x => x.Email == email).FirstOrDefault();

  • Razor View Engine: Automatically HTML-encodes variables (@Html.DisplayFor()).

  • Dapper (with parameter binding):

    csharp
    connection.Query("SELECT * FROM Users WHERE Email = @Email", new { Email = input });

  • Azure SQL Threat Detection: Detects SQL injections and alerts.

A04: Insecure Design

The Problem: Security is not embedded in the design phase.
Microsoft Solutions:

  • Microsoft Threat Modeling Tool: Build Data Flow Diagrams (DFD), define trust boundaries, and use STRIDE analysis.

  • Azure Well-Architected Framework: Follow Zero Trust principles, privilege separation, and zone segregation.

A05: Security Misconfiguration

The Problem: Poor or default configurations left exposed.
Microsoft Solutions:

  • ASP.NET Core:

    json
    "DetailedErrors": false,
    "Environment": "Production"

  • Enable HSTS:

    csharp
    app.UseHsts();

  • Azure Defender for App Service: Detects insecure settings, default credentials, TLS versions, and more.

  • Azure Policy: Enforce compliance using declarative templates.

A06: Vulnerable & Outdated Components

The Problem: Old libraries and unpatched components with known vulnerabilities.
Microsoft Solutions:

  • GitHub Dependabot: Automatically updates outdated NuGet/npm libraries.

  • Azure DevOps + Whitesource: Add security scan tasks in your CI pipeline:

    yaml
    - task: WhiteSource Bolt@20

  • Software Bill of Materials (SBOM): Use SPDX or CycloneDX tools to generate component inventories.

A07: Identification & Authentication Failures

The Problem: Weak authentication, no MFA, predictable tokens.
Microsoft Solutions:

  • Azure Entra ID (ex-Azure AD):

    • Enforce MFA.

    • Block legacy protocols (POP/IMAP).

    • Use Conditional Access for geolocation, device, and risk-based policies.

  • ASP.NET Core Identity:

    csharp
    options.SignIn.RequireConfirmedEmail = true;
    options.Lockout.MaxFailedAccessAttempts = 5;

  • OAuth with PKCE: Use short-lived tokens with Proof Key for Code Exchange.

A08: Software & Data Integrity Failures

The Problem: Compromised CI/CD pipelines, unverified third-party code.
Microsoft Solutions:

  • Code Signing:

    bash
    signtool sign /f cert.pfx /p pass app.exe

  • Azure DevOps Pipelines: Enforce artifact integrity checks before and after publishing.

  • Azure Container Registry (ACR) with Content Trust: Use Notary v2 to ensure image authenticity.

A09: Security Logging & Monitoring Failures

The Problem: No logging or alerting, or logs are not monitored.
Microsoft Solutions:

  • Application Insights:

    csharp
    telemetryClient.TrackEvent("UserLoginFailed");

  • Azure Monitor + Log Analytics: Query logs using Kusto for anomaly detection.

  • Microsoft Sentinel: Create alert rules, such as “more than 5 failed logins within 10 minutes”.

A10: Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF)

The Problem: Attacker tricks the server into sending unauthorized requests.
Microsoft Solutions:

  • Input Validation:

    csharp
    if (!url.StartsWith("https://trusted-api.com"))
    throw new Exception("Blocked URL");

  • NSG + Azure Firewall: Block egress to metadata endpoints like 169.254.169.254.

  • Private DNS Zones + VNET Integration: Ensure traffic stays within trusted zones.

🎯 Conclusion

Microsoft offers a complete toolbox for OWASP Top 10 compliance — from C# code protections to cloud-scale security enforcement in Azure. By implementing these practices, developers can reduce attack surface, enhance audit readiness, and build resilient applications by design.