OWASP Cheat Code Series

In an age of AI-generated code, it’s more important than ever to confirm whether new code - or an AI-generated fix - is truly secure. While existing resources like OWASP Cheat Sheets and CWE provide valuable guidance and examples, this project goes a step further by showing exactly how those principles apply in real-world scenarios, using a library of deliberately insecure and secure code samples tested by various attack payloads (e.g. from PayloadsAllTheThings). By aligning with recommendations from the Cheat Sheets Series and scoring every implementation against every payload in a published outcome matrix - which records what actually happened, not merely whether a test passed - developers can compare the effectiveness of different remediation approaches, validate their own fixes, and gain truly practical insights. The result is a hands-on resource that complements established best-practice guidance - and acts like a “Stack Overflow” for security fixes - by making vulnerability mitigation both discoverable and verifiable.

Road Map

A working proof of concept has been created in Java, demonstrating the Path Traversal vulnerability The project will be expanded in several directions:

• Broader vulnerability coverage – Add new examples of both insecure and secure implementations for a wide range of vulnerability types.
• Enhanced test payloads – Increase the variety and sophistication of attack payloads to test the robustness of different fixes.
• Multi-language support – Extend the project to cover multiple programming languages and popular frameworks.

The timeline depends on available contributors and community support. The initial goal is to cover the most common SAST-detectable vulnerabilities within the first year, starting with XXE, Command Injection, and SQL Injection. Overall, this is envisioned as a long-term, multi-year project aimed at becoming a comprehensive and evolving resource for secure coding practices.