OWASP Top 10: Preventing Cryptographic Failures (A02:2021)

Securing sensitive user data is one of the most critical responsibilities of modern developers, yet cryptographic mistakes remain among the most common security vulnerabilities. Understanding how cryptographic failures happen is the first step toward building resilient, secure web applications. This text-based course guides you through the core concepts of the OWASP Top 10 A02:2021 category, helping you identify weak encryption, insecure key storage, and outdated protocols. What you'll learn: - Understand the fundamental terminology of cryptography, encryption, and hashing - Identify common causes of cryptographic failures in modern web applications - Apply secure hashing algorithms like bcrypt and Argon2 for safe password storage - Configure secure data-in-transit protection using modern TLS protocols - Manage cryptographic keys safely using environment variables and secure vaults - Analyze real-world scenarios to spot and remediate sensitive data exposure The course begins with foundational cryptographic definitions and core security principles before moving into practical remediation techniques and secure coding practices. You will read through clear explanations, conceptual breakdowns, and secure code examples designed to build a practical security mindset. This course is designed for beginner developers, aspiring cybersecurity analysts, and systems administrators, with no prior cryptography experience required. Start reading today to strengthen your applications against data exposure vulnerabilities.