CS0-003 Vulnerability Management Practice Question
During a web application penetration test, a security analyst uses a DAST tool and discovers that the application is vulnerable to Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF). According to the OWASP Top 10 2021, under which category does SSRF fall?
⚠ Common exam trap
CS0-004 often tests the updated OWASP Top 10 2021 categories, where candidates might incorrectly place SSRF under A03: Injection due to its historical association, but it is now a separate category A10.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
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A10: Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF)
In the OWASP Top 10 2021, Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) was added as a new category, A10: Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF). This category specifically addresses vulnerabilities where an attacker can induce the server to make requests to unintended locations, such as internal services or external systems.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
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A03: Injection
Why it's wrong here
While injection vulnerabilities involve sending untrusted data to an interpreter to execute unintended commands or queries (such as SQLi or OS Command Injection), SSRF specifically abuses the server's functionality to read or write to external resources. Although input validation failures underlie both, SSRF is classified under its own distinct category in the OWASP Top 10 rather than being grouped under Injection.
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A01: Broken Access Control
Why it's wrong here
Broken Access Control occurs when users can access resources or perform actions outside of their intended permissions, such as bypassing authorization checks or escalating privileges. While SSRF can be used to bypass network-level access controls (like firewalls), the vulnerability itself stems from the application blindly trusting user-supplied URLs to fetch resources, making it a request forgery issue rather than an authorization logic flaw.
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A06: Vulnerable and Outdated Components
Why it's wrong here
This category focuses on risks arising from using unpatched, unsupported, or legacy software libraries, frameworks, or operating systems within the application stack. SSRF, by contrast, is a custom code-level design flaw where the application's own logic improperly validates user-supplied destination URIs, meaning it can occur even on fully updated and patched systems.
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A10: Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF)
Why this is correct
Server-Side Request Forgery is explicitly categorized as A10 in the OWASP Top 10 2021. This vulnerability occurs when a web application fetches a remote resource without validating the user-supplied URL, allowing attackers to coerce the application into sending crafted requests to unexpected destinations, such as internal loopback addresses, metadata services, or private backend systems.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
OWASP Top 10 for Security Analysts
Key term
Security
Security in IT is the practice of protecting systems, networks, and data from unauthorized access, damage, or theft.
Key term
DAST
DAST (Dynamic Application Security Testing) is a security testing method that finds vulnerabilities in running web applications by simulating real attacks from the outside.
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Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official CompTIA exam blueprint
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