Detecting OWASP Top 10 Vulnerabilities: Complete LogZilla Guide

TECHNICAL
LogZilla Team
July 10, 2025
12 min read

Introduction to the OWASP Top 10

The Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) is a nonprofit organization focused on improving the security of software. The OWASP Top 10 represents the most critical security risks to web applications, based on comprehensive data analysis and industry consensus. This list helps developers, security professionals, and organizations understand and address the most common web application vulnerabilities. Learn more about the OWASP Top 10.

The OWASP Top 10 is a list of the most critical security risks to web applications.

The OWASP Top 10 2021 Complete List

  1. A01:2021 – Broken Access Control
  2. A02:2021 – Cryptographic Failures
  3. A03:2021 – Injection
  4. A04:2021 – Insecure Design
  5. A05:2021 – Security Misconfiguration
  6. A06:2021 – Vulnerable and Outdated Components
  7. A07:2021 – Identification and Authentication Failures
  8. A08:2021 – Software and Data Integrity Failures
  9. A09:2021 – Security Logging and Monitoring Failures
  10. A10:2021 – Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF)

Why Log Management is Critical for OWASP Top 10 Defense

Effective log management serves as both a detective control and a foundation for incident response across all OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities. While secure coding practices prevent these vulnerabilities, comprehensive logging enables organizations to:

  • Detect exploitation attempts in real-time
  • Track attack patterns and threat actor behavior
  • Measure security control effectiveness
  • Enable rapid incident response and forensic analysis
  • Meet compliance requirements for security monitoring

LogZilla's approach transforms traditional reactive logging into proactive security intelligence through real-time analysis, intelligent preprocessing, and automated response capabilities.

LogZilla's Approach to OWASP Top 10 Detection

LogZilla transforms raw log messages into structured, searchable data using user tags—custom metadata fields extracted via parsing rules. Syslog protocol with structured data is standardized in RFC 5424, providing a foundation for consistent log message formatting. This approach provides immediate visibility into security patterns without complex queries.

Micro-FAQ

What is the OWASP Top 10?

The OWASP Top 10 is a list of the most critical security risks to web applications.

Which logs help detect OWASP Top 10 issues?

Application access logs, authentication logs, WAF events, and API gateway logs provide coverage when fields are normalized and retained.

Should logs be JSON?

JSON is not required, but consistent parsing and schema validation improve detection and troubleshooting.

Which transport should be used for app logs?

Use TCP/TLS for reliability and confidentiality; UDP is acceptable for constrained sources when loss is tolerable.

Summary

LogZilla provides comprehensive OWASP Top 10 detection capabilities through intelligent log parsing, real-time analysis, and automated response. The platform's user tag system transforms raw log messages into structured, searchable data, enabling immediate visibility into security patterns without complex queries.

A01:2021 – Broken Access Control

What it is: Users acting outside of their intended permissions, accessing unauthorized functionality or data.

LogZilla Detection Strategy:

yaml
# /etc/logzilla/rules.d/100-access-control.yaml
rewrite_rules:
  - comment: "Detect unauthorized access attempts"
    match:
      field: "message"
      op: "=~"
      value: "(?:access denied|unauthorized|forbidden|privilege|escalation)"
    tag:
      security_event: "access_control_violation"
      risk_level: "high"
  - comment: "Track privilege escalation"
    match:
      field: "message"
      op: "=~"
      value: "user ([^\\s]+) attempted (?:admin|root|sudo) access"
    tag:
      privilege_escalation_user: "$1"
      security_event: "privilege_escalation"

LogZilla UI Monitoring:

  • Widget: TopN users with access violations (privilege_escalation_user)
  • Alert: Real-time notifications for security_event:privilege_escalation
  • Dashboard: Access control violation trends over time

A02:2021 – Cryptographic Failures

What it is: Failures related to cryptography that lead to sensitive data exposure.

LogZilla Detection Strategy:

lua
-- /etc/logzilla/rules.d/200-crypto-failures.lua
function process(event)
    local message = event.message
    
    -- Detect weak crypto usage
    if string.match(message, "SSL.*TLS.*1%.[01]") or
       string.match(message, "MD5") or
       string.match(message, "SHA1") or
       string.match(message, "DES") then
        event.user_tags.crypto_weakness = "deprecated_algorithm"
        event.user_tags.security_event = "crypto_failure"
    end
    
    -- Detect certificate issues
    if string.match(message, "certificate.*expired") or
       string.match(message, "certificate.*invalid") then
        event.user_tags.cert_issue = "invalid_certificate"
        event.user_tags.security_event = "crypto_failure"
    end
end

LogZilla Response:

  • Immediate Alert: Certificate expiration warnings
  • Compliance Dashboard: Weak cryptography usage tracking
  • Automated Action: Generate security team tickets for crypto failures

A03:2021 – Injection

What it is: SQL injection, NoSQL injection, OS command injection, and other injection flaws.

LogZilla Detection Strategy:

yaml
# /etc/logzilla/rules.d/300-injection-detection.yaml
rewrite_rules:
  - comment: "SQL Injection Detection"
    match:
      field: "message"
      op: "=~"
      value: "(?i)(union.*select|or.*1=1|drop.*table|exec.*xp_|script.*alert)"
    tag:
      attack_type: "injection"
      injection_type: "sql"
      threat_level: "critical"
  - comment: "Command Injection Detection"
    match:
      field: "message"
      op: "=~"
      value: "(?:;|\\||&|`|\\$\\(|\\${).*(?:rm|cat|ls|wget|curl|nc|bash)"
    tag:
      attack_type: "injection"
      injection_type: "command"
      threat_level: "critical"

LogZilla UI Searches:

text
attack_type:injection AND threat_level:critical
injection_type:sql
injection_type:command

A04:2021 – Insecure Design

What it is: Design flaws that cannot be fixed by implementation alone.

LogZilla Detection Strategy:

lua
-- /etc/logzilla/rules.d/400-insecure-design.lua
function process(event)
    local message = event.message
    
    -- Detect business logic bypasses
    if string.match(message, "price.*modified") or
       string.match(message, "quantity.*negative") or
       string.match(message, "discount.*100%") then
        event.user_tags.business_logic_bypass = "detected"
        event.user_tags.security_event = "insecure_design"
    end
    
    -- Detect workflow violations
    if string.match(message, "step.*skipped") or
       string.match(message, "validation.*bypassed") then
        event.user_tags.workflow_violation = "detected"
        event.user_tags.security_event = "insecure_design"
    end
end

A05:2021 – Security Misconfiguration

What it is: Insecure default configurations, incomplete configurations, or misconfigured HTTP headers.

LogZilla Detection Strategy:

yaml
# /etc/logzilla/rules.d/500-misconfig-detection.yaml
rewrite_rules:
  - comment: "Default credentials usage"
    match:
      field: "message"
      op: "=~"
      value: "(?:admin:admin|root:root|admin:password|default.*credentials)"
    tag:
      security_event: "default_credentials"
      config_issue: "weak_auth"
  - comment: "Debug mode in production"
    match:
      field: "message"
      op: "=~"
      value: "(?:debug.*enabled|stack.*trace|error.*details)"
    tag:
      security_event: "debug_enabled"
      config_issue: "information_disclosure"

A06:2021 – Vulnerable and Outdated Components

What it is: Using components with known vulnerabilities.

LogZilla Detection Strategy:

lua
-- /etc/logzilla/rules.d/600-vulnerable-components.lua
function process(event)
    local message = event.message
    
    -- Track component versions
    local version = string.match(message, "([^\\s]+)\\s+version\\s+([0-9\\.]+)")
    if version then
        event.user_tags.component_name = version
        event.user_tags.component_version = string.match(message, "version\\s+([0-9\\.]+)")
    end
    
    -- Detect known vulnerable patterns
    if string.match(message, "log4j.*2\\.[0-9]") or
       string.match(message, "struts.*2\\.[0-5]") then
        event.user_tags.vulnerable_component = "detected"
        event.user_tags.security_event = "vulnerable_component"
    end
end

A07:2021 – Identification and Authentication Failures

What it is: Broken authentication and session management.

LogZilla Detection Strategy:

yaml
# /etc/logzilla/rules.d/700-auth-failures.yaml
rewrite_rules:
  - comment: "Authentication failures"
    match:
      field: "message"
      op: "=~"
      value: "(?:login.*failed|authentication.*failed|invalid.*credentials)"
    tag:
      auth_event: "failure"
      security_event: "auth_failure"
  - comment: "Session hijacking indicators"
    match:
      field: "message"
      op: "=~"
      value: "(?:session.*hijacked|token.*stolen|concurrent.*sessions)"
    tag:
      auth_event: "session_attack"
      security_event: "session_hijacking"

LogZilla Correlation Rules:

  • Brute Force: >10 auth failures from same IP in 5 minutes
  • Credential Stuffing: Multiple usernames from same IP
  • Session Anomalies: Concurrent sessions from different locations

A08:2021 – Software and Data Integrity Failures

What it is: Code and infrastructure that do not protect against integrity violations.

LogZilla Detection Strategy:

lua
-- /etc/logzilla/rules.d/800-integrity-failures.lua
function process(event)
    local message = event.message
    
    -- Detect checksum failures
    if string.match(message, "checksum.*mismatch") or
       string.match(message, "hash.*verification.*failed") then
        event.user_tags.integrity_failure = "checksum_mismatch"
        event.user_tags.security_event = "integrity_violation"
    end
    
    -- Detect unsigned code execution
    if string.match(message, "unsigned.*code") or
       string.match(message, "certificate.*verification.*failed") then
        event.user_tags.integrity_failure = "unsigned_code"
        event.user_tags.security_event = "integrity_violation"
    end
end

A09:2021 – Security Logging and Monitoring Failures

What LogZilla Solves: This is precisely what LogZilla prevents through:

  • Real-time Processing: ~5M EPS with immediate-first deduplication
  • Comprehensive Coverage: All log sources with structured parsing
  • Intelligent Alerting: Context-aware triggers with correlation
  • Audit Trail: Complete forensic capabilities with archive search
  • Compliance: Automated reporting and retention management

LogZilla Monitoring Health:

yaml
# /etc/logzilla/rules.d/900-monitoring-health.yaml
rewrite_rules:
  - comment: "Log ingestion monitoring"
    match:
      field: "program"
      op: "eq"
      value: "logzilla"
    tag:
      system_health: "log_ingestion"
      monitoring_status: "active"

A10:2021 – Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF)

What it is: Web applications fetching remote resources without validating user-supplied URLs.

LogZilla Detection Strategy:

yaml
# /etc/logzilla/rules.d/1000-ssrf-detection.yaml
rewrite_rules:
  - comment: "SSRF attempt detection"
    match:
      field: "message"
      op: "=~"
      value: "(?:localhost|127\\.0\\.0\\.1|169\\.254|10\\.|192\\.168|172\\.1[6-9]|172\\.2[0-9]|172\\.3[01])"
    tag:
      attack_type: "ssrf"
      target_type: "internal_network"
      threat_level: "high"
  - comment: "Cloud metadata SSRF"
    match:
      field: "message"
      op: "=~"
      value: "169\\.254\\.169\\.254"
    tag:
      attack_type: "ssrf"
      target_type: "cloud_metadata"
      threat_level: "critical"

Using the LogZilla UI for Security Analysis

Once user tags are configured, the LogZilla UI provides powerful, intuitive analysis capabilities:

Dashboard Widgets for Security Monitoring

Top Failed Login Users:

  • Widget Type: TopN
  • Field: auth_fail_user
  • Filter: auth_status:failed

Authentication Failure Rate Over Time:

  • Widget Type: EventRate
  • Filter: auth_status:failed

Top Attacking IP Addresses:

  • Widget Type: TopN
  • Field: attacker_ip

Latest Critical Security Events:

  • Widget Type: Search
  • Filter: attack_type:SQLi OR path_traversal_attempts:>2

Simple UI Searches

With user tags configured, security searches become straightforward:

All failed authentications:

text
auth_status:failed

Brute force attempts (multiple failures from same IP):

text
auth_fail_source:203.0.113.5 AND auth_status:failed

All injection attacks:

text
attack_type:SQLi

Severe path traversal attempts:

text
path_traversal_attempts:>3

Combined security events:

text
attack_type:SQLi OR attack_type:path_traversal OR auth_status:failed

Automated Security Response with Triggers

LogZilla Triggers enable automated responses to security events:

Brute Force Detection

Trigger Configuration:

  • Condition: auth_status:failed
  • Rule Type: SingleWithThreshold
  • Threshold: More than 10 events in 1 minute from same auth_fail_source
  • Action: Execute script to add IP to firewall blocklist

Critical Injection Alert

Trigger Configuration:

  • Condition: attack_type:SQLi
  • Action: Send email to security team with attacker_ip and attack_payload

Path Traversal Response

Trigger Configuration:

  • Condition: path_traversal_attempts:>2
  • Action: Create high-priority notification for immediate investigation

Advanced Correlation for Complex Attacks

For multi-stage attacks, LogZilla's Event Correlation engine tracks patterns across multiple events:

Example: Detect port scanning followed by login attempts

  • Stage 1: High connection rate from single IP
  • Stage 2: Authentication attempts from same IP within time window
  • Response: Automated blocking with security team notification

When to Use API vs UI

Use the UI for:

  • Interactive security investigations
  • Real-time monitoring dashboards
  • Manual incident response
  • Exploring attack patterns

Use the API for:

  • Automated threat hunting scripts
  • Integration with SOAR platforms
  • Scheduled security reports
  • Custom security applications

Example API Query (for automation):

json
{
  "type": "TopN",
  "params": {
    "time_range": {"preset": "last_1_hours"},
    "field": "attacker_ip",
    "filter": [
      {"field": "attack_type", "value": "SQLi"}
    ],
    "limit": 20
  }
}

For upstream controls that reduce noise before analysis, see Cloud SIEM cost‑control approaches and Syslog Essentials. Organizations implementing comprehensive security monitoring should also review advanced event deduplication strategies to optimize detection accuracy while reducing alert fatigue.

Next Steps

Implementing comprehensive OWASP Top 10 detection with LogZilla requires a systematic approach. Start by deploying the parsing rules for your most critical vulnerabilities—typically injection attacks and authentication failures. Configure dashboard widgets to monitor security events in real-time, then establish automated triggers for immediate incident response. Organizations seeking to enhance their security posture should evaluate LogZilla's capabilities for their specific environment and compliance requirements.

Tags

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Detecting OWASP Top 10 Vulnerabilities: Complete LogZilla Guide