Dear CIO,

Generative AI may be the shiny new toy in the enterprise tech stack, but it’s also the most dangerous if left unguarded. Recently, OWASP elevated its GenAI LLM Security Project to Flagship Status. In this newsletter, we are going to cover this announcement and explain why it is important. 

Best Regards,
John, Your Enterprise AI Advisor

It’s Time to Get Serious About LLM Security

In a landmark move, the Open Worldwide Application Security Project (OWASP) promoted its GenAI LLM Security Project to Flagship Status. For those of us navigating the complex intersection of generative AI and enterprise infrastructure, this is a call to action.

If you're not already familiar with it, the OWASP GenAI project produces the Top 10 for LLM Applications—a widely adopted framework for identifying vulnerabilities specific to large language models. Now, with its third comprehensive report published, OWASP has cemented itself as the go-to source for actionable security insights in this fast-moving space.

So why should this matter to you as a CIO?

History of OWASP Top 10

To understand the importance of this Flagship designation, we must first understand the history of the OWASP Top 10.

The project began as a foundational effort in 2023 to define the emerging risks of generative AI. When OWASP first released the Top 10 for LLM Applications, it was a trailblazing move to spotlight new classes of vulnerabilities such as prompt injection, training data poisoning, and insecure output handling. These early insights gave developers, security teams, and CIOs a language to discuss LLM-specific threats.  

Over the next two years, the GenAI Security Project matured through multiple iterations and a growing collaboration with AI researchers, enterprise teams, and red teams in the field. By the release of its third major report, OWASP had not only refined and expanded its vulnerability categories, but also built a community-driven ecosystem of tools, best practices, and real-world case studies. In the process, it has become one of the industry’s most authoritative frameworks for securing LLM applications.

Generative AI Is Moving Faster Than Your Risk Models

AI adoption across the enterprise is no longer experimental. As we have talked about in case studies from companies like Adidas, Cisco, and Adobe, AI is already accelerating workflows, transforming customer interactions, and even redefining internal governance frameworks. However, this growth is also expanding the attack surface that traditional security tools weren’t designed to monitor or defend. As AI becomes part of the digital nervous system of the enterprise, the consequences of failure are amplified.

In the past few years, we have seen the rise of real-world incidents like jailbreaks, data leaks, and unsafe prompt interactions begin to make headlines. OWASP’s work shines a spotlight on these kinds of threats. OWASP has updated its framework for 2025 to address the fast-changing adversarial landscape, introducing substantial changes that reflect new vulnerabilities and provide a broader, more detailed perspective on existing risks. From prompt injection to model denial-of-service, training data leakage, and insecure plugin integrations, its guidance helps you translate security theory into day-to-day reality.

Flagship Status Means It's Time to Build Around It

With this new designation, OWASP's GenAI project will receive increased organizational support. What this means for us though is that we can expect more frequent updates, broader industry input, and tighter alignment with other AI security frameworks. This is the time to embed OWASP’s LLM Top 10 into your internal audit programs, procurement processes, and AI governance playbooks.

CIOs must understand that GenAI systems aren’t just apps with fancy UIs. Without proper oversight, you’re not just deploying chatbots—you’re inviting in a new class of adversaries. As generative AI becomes embedded across enterprise systems, from customer support and legal operations to software engineering and cybersecurity, the risk surface grows at a pace few IT leaders have seen before. And that means CIOs must lead not only the adoption of AI but also its secure implementation.

This evolution is also a signal that AI security is no longer an experimental discipline—it’s operational infrastructure. OWASP’s rise from an early warning system to a flagship initiative mirrors the trajectory of generative AI itself: from a curiosity to a cornerstone.

The Bigger Picture: Guardrails Are the New Enablers

In today’s AI-powered enterprise, security is a competitive advantage. The organizations that win will be those that govern faster than they innovate, ensuring that shadow AI doesn’t quietly build up technical debt in the background. Tools like OWASP’s LLM Top 10 provide a shared language for risk and response—a framework your AI teams, SREs, and CISOs can rally around.

AI is not a sideshow. It’s the main act. And updates by OWASP make it clear that the security community is adapting. Are you?


You can find more information on OWASP on this website:
https://genai.owasp.org