5 Best Practices and 1 Tool for Mitigating Open-Source Vulnerabilities
Computers & Technology → Technology
- Author Christine Alexy
- Published October 15, 2021
- Word count 975
"Then again, my case was all about the misappropriation of source code because I wanted to become the best hacker in the world and I enjoyed beating the security mechanisms." – Kevin Mitnick, cybersecurity consultant, author, keynote speaker
Open-source software originated over 30 years ago, roughly the same time the world wide web became mainstream. Since then, technology has advanced from cell phones to cloud computing to emerging technologies such as AI and the IoT – all have adopted clear security standards. Yet, open-source software (OSS) remains an outlier because of its “open,” accessible nature.
The good news is, open-source code is open for people and businesses to use, distribute, and modify. The bad news is hackers are people too, whose motives are not for the betterment of code, who introduce open-source mayhem.
Because of their source code, all IT applications have security vulnerabilities. So, it’s imperative to recognize which applications are open source or have open-source components.
Open-Source Code Is Open to Risk
You’ve probably heard of open-source front-end programs or languages such as Mozilla Firefox, GIMP, Python, PHP, Apache Spark, and various CRM applications like Odoo, Hubspot, or ConcourseSuite. But Wireshark, TCPflow, Ngrep, and other network protocol and packet analyzers, back-end tools employed to troubleshoot security anomalies, are also open-source applications. Shopworn tools such as these often fall off the security radar.
Many organizations fail to consider the prevalence of open-source code and components. Over 95 percent of all applications in the global market contain open-source code, and 90 percent of IT leaders rely on enterprise open source for network support, “infrastructure modernization, application development, and digital transformation.” Although most leaders believe enterprise open source is as secure as proprietary software, threats persist.
Over 85 percent of applications contain at least one vulnerability. More alarming, WordPress, Wikipedia, and other common PHP-based applications are the most frequent to have “very high severity flaws.”
Some developers borrow non-commercial open-source code and often get more than they bargained for – security flaws and all. Such folly can be detrimental and costly in a world where more than 80 percent of cyberattacks occur at the application layer.
If you’re part of the five percent of developers who don’t use open-source code, you’re already ahead of the game.
Why?
Open-source software vulnerabilities can place your organization and its stakeholders at risk of downtime and loss of sensitive information, impacting revenue, reputation, and rate of progression. When exploited, open-source code can expose trade secrets and personally identifiable information of both clientele and employees, as was the case with the 2017 Equifax breach, which compromised the personal data of nearly 150 million consumers.
Failure to provide “reasonable” network security cost Equifax $425 million in federal fines and lawsuits.
CIA – Three Words to Sum Up Your Open-Source Security Goals
Data confidentiality, integrity, and availability, popularly referred to as CIA, are the cornerstones of all information system security initiatives. Fundamental to security policy, CIA aim to protect intellectual property, ensure business continuity, provide employee access to company resources, and deliver accurate, reliable, and reachable data.
When left unpatched, unchecked, or, in Equifax’s case, outdated, open-source software can compromise data confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
5 Best Practices to Secure Your Organization, Data, and Stakeholders
By its very nature, open-source software will have programming loopholes and backdoors, making it easy for hackers to misappropriate source code, especially since security vulnerabilities are listed on the National Vulnerability Database (NVD) and other public forums.
While disclosing code and its security vulnerabilities helps developers fix bugs and create patches, it does not reveal all potential security threats. However, organizations can stay informed and follow simple protocols, policies, and best practices to avert all known threats.
-
Maintain a Complete Inventory of All Open-Source Software
Implement secure software analysis tools to identify, track, and monitor open-source threats and vulnerabilities across your environment and generate critical alerts.
-
Keep All Open-Source Software and Components Up to Date
Make intruder penetration, system compromise, and malicious activity difficult. Create a Q&A policy to prohibit the copying and pasting of code snippets from open-source repositories into internal components without first auditing the snippets for vulnerabilities.
-
Create, Test, and Enforce Open-Source Security Policies
Develop contingency plans, continually update and test security policies for flaws, and be prepared with forensics to investigate the aftermath of a security breach.
-
Hire a Dedicated DevOps Security Policy Team
Discover and map all open-source software to known vulnerabilities, work with Q&A, and provide ongoing education for developers on internal policy and external security risks.
-
Identify Licensing Risks and Rights Infringement
Track the open-source software and components for potential intellectual property infringement. Educate developers, legal advisors, and Q&A on open-source license compliance to avoid litigation and the compromise of intellectual property.
The Best Tool to Automate Open-Source Testing and Best Practices
Snyk Open Source is a powerful open-source security management platform. Gartner, Reddit, Segment, Acuity, and other enterprises benefit from its comprehensive security coverage. Shortly after deploying Snyk Open Source, these companies witnessed an increase in productivity. Their teams accelerated application development, securing development pipelines effortlessly.
Snyk eliminates the need for a dedicated DevOps security team. It’s robust and made for agile environments. Snyk helps you meet those confidentiality, integrity, and availability goals faster, addressing each of the five practices in real-time, saving you time, money, and resources.
When it comes to securing open-source code, Snyk takes the guesswork and legwork out of inventory audits and eliminates endless NVD searches to stay abreast of the latest vulnerabilities and licensing risks. Corporations, developers, and security teams trust Snyk because it integrates seamlessly into existing development workflows, automates fixes, and quickly detects, prioritizes, and remediates issues through its comprehensive intelligence database.
If you’ve got to use open-source code for your next application or back-end task, use it with confidence by employing the five best practices above and Snyk’s Open Source security management platform.
Christine Alexy brings 20 years of writing corporate, B2B and B2C content, and 15 years of IT/data communications experience to lead Alexy Professional Writing Services.
Combining her technical and writing experience with a bachelor's degree in organizational leadership and IT/security and risk analysis from Penn State University, she pivoted her career, emerging as a full-time business writer and thought leader targeting IT, leadership, and HR/workplace culture.
Article source: https://articlebiz.comRate article
Article comments
There are no posted comments.
Related articles
- GoPDF An Online PDF Editor Releases Mobiles Apps Compatible with iOS & Android: A Faster Solution for PDF Editing
- The Best AI Logo Generators in 2024
- Adapting to Rising Parcel Rates in 2024 with Business Central and Order Ship Express
- Zoviz Launches New Solutions Day by Day to Users as An AI Logo Maker
- Is Your Finance Strategy Ready for ERP Software?
- A Beginner's Guide to Starting a Career in Web3
- Harnessing the Power of License Plating in Dynamics 365 Business Central
- Crypto Weekend: Hydra Being “Abandoned”, New Blockchain Games And Partnerships
- Crypto And Web3: Integration That Opens Up New Opportunities
- Top 10 Features You Didn't Know Existed in Product Configurators for Business Central
- Enhancing Test Case Reusability with Execution Recording
- The Ultimate Guide to Hiring ASP.NET Developers for Your Business
- INVESTIGATING THE NEW MACBOOK AIR M3: STOCKPILING AND SPEED EXPERIENCES
- How to Fix Sump Pump Drainage: A Complete Guide to Keep Your Basement Dry
- From Paper to Digital: Transforming QA with Dynamics 365 Business Central
- How AI Content Moderation Keeps Your Brand Afloat
- the best metal detector
- You’re probably not ready for AI. Guide to K-12 data collection.
- Elevate Your Business Central Experience with Free Barcoding Integration
- Choosing the Best SMS Gateway Provider: 5 Essential Features for Success
- Designing Easy to Use Software: Understanding the Basics of UX Testing in Quality Assurance
- The Link: Merging Brains and Computers
- Machine translation vs AI translation: What sets them apart?
- Navigating the Path to Data Excellence: A Guide to Choosing the Right Power BI Consultant with GTH Cloud 365
- The Future of AI: Exciting Times, Big Questions
- The Evolving Landscape of SEO in 2024: Navigating the Digital Frontier
- Customize Your Gaming Console To Optimize Your Gaming Experience
- Data Recovery Complications
- Unveiling the Power of Digital Platforms
- Revolutionizing Connectivity: Digital Transformation in the Telecom Industry