What Is Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP)?

If you've ever spent hours on end trying to find a security vulnerability in your code and then, at the end of it all, realized that you were using the wrong font for your "hacker" glasses, well, then you know how hard it can be to keep up with the latest information about software security. Enter OWASP: The Open Web Application Security Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2001 to improve software applications and product security. A community project, OWASP involves different initiatives such as incubator projects, laboratory projects and flagship projects intended to evolve the software process. OWASP's mission is simple: to make it easier for people everywhere to write secure code by providing free documentation, training and tools related to web application security. OWASP is a group of digital security professionals and enthusiasts working to make the internet safer for everyone, one step at a time. They are one of many organizations pushing for better standards in technology. Still, they're also unique because they work on an "open source" model, meaning they share their findings and methods with other groups. OWASP offers a variety of projects aimed at helping people understand and use technology more safely. Some of these projects include SAMM (Software Assurance Maturity Model) and development and testing guides that provide best practices for tech industries. OWASP also developed a code review guide used by IT professionals to look at source code issues and an application code verification standard. Another type of project development OWASP involves learning projects, such as WebGoat (which consists of deliberately insecure tech structures that serve as a training ground for IT people to pursue trial-and-error research into how to make technologies more secure). Overall, this organization's mission is fantastic because it's about ensuring that anyone can trust their computers or phones when using them!