Assessing your open source software security efficacy
4 minute read time
Open source software has become the foundation of modern application development. With up to 90% of most applications consisting of open source components, organizations — especially in financial services — need to ensure they effectively manage their software supply chains.
In a recent webinar co-hosted by Sonatype and Fintech Open Source (FINOS) Foundation, industry experts Brian Fox (co-founder and CTO, Sonatype) and Tosha Ellison (Strategic Advisor, FINOS) discussed the complexities of open source software security and actions organizations can take to improve their security efficacy.
The hidden risks in open source dependencies
Developers rely upon open source components from repositories like Maven Central, NPM, PyPI, and Docker Hub to build applications faster and more efficiently. While this approach accelerates development, it also introduces significant security and compliance risks.
There is a widespread misconception among leadership that custom applications are primarily written from scratch. In reality, most modern applications are assembled using hundreds of open source components.
Without proper oversight and thorough monitoring, organizations may inadvertently introduce vulnerabilities, outdated libraries, or even malicious dependencies into their software, potentially exposing their systems to security breaches, data leaks, or performance issues. This lack of attention can have far-reaching consequences, including loss of customer trust and increased recovery costs.
Strengthening open source software security with dependency management
Effective dependency management is essential to maintaining software integrity. In order to ensure secure and well-maintained open source components, policies must be implemented to govern how teams consume open source components.
Some best practices include:
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Automated dependency tracking: Utilize software composition analysis (SCA) tools to continuously scan dependencies for vulnerabilities, license compliance issues, and outdated components. Automating this process reduces manual effort and ensures teams always have an up-to-date view of their software's security posture.
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Policy enforcement: Establish and enforce security and compliance policies that restrict the use of risky dependencies. This includes blocking components with known vulnerabilities, requiring certain security attributes (e.g., signed artifacts), and setting criteria for acceptable open source libraries.
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Vulnerability remediation: Instead of relying solely on CVE scores, prioritize fixes based on exploitability, reachability, and real-world impact. Consider factors such as whether a vulnerable function is actually used in production and whether an exploit is actively being weaponized.
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Continuous monitoring and governance: Security risks evolve over time, so it's essential to continuously monitor dependencies for newly discovered vulnerabilities. Implement automated alerts and periodic security reviews to ensure outdated or risky components are replaced promptly.
Preparing for evolving software supply chain threats
Cyber threats targeting the software supply chain have become more sophisticated, as seen in high-profile incidents like the Log4j vulnerability.
Security measures must be proactive, including:
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Implementing SBOMs for transparency: Generating a software bill of materials (SBOM) provides a comprehensive inventory of all dependencies in a project. This visibility helps security teams quickly identify and address vulnerabilities, ensure compliance with regulations, and respond effectively to zero-day threats.
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Threat intelligence integration: Leverage real-time security data to detect and respond to emerging threats before they become major incidents. This includes monitoring exploit databases, security advisories, and dark web activity for signs of targeted attacks on widely used open source components.
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Developer training and awareness: Security is most effective when integrated into the software development life cycle (SDLC). Equip developers with knowledge about secure coding practices, supply chain risks, and how to evaluate the security posture of open source components before adoption.
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Adopting tamper-resistant software artifacts: Utilize cryptographic signing and verification for software components to ensure the integrity and authenticity of dependencies. This helps prevent software supply chain attacks where attackers inject malicious code into open source packages.
Taking control of open source usage
Organizations must move beyond reactive security approaches and establish a robust strategy for managing open source dependencies.
By integrating security into the SDLC, enforcing governance policies, and educating teams on best practices, companies can significantly reduce risk while continuing to innovate.
To learn more about securing dependencies and mitigating risks, watch the full webinar.
Aaron is a technical writer on Sonatype's Marketing team. He works at a crossroads of technical writing, developer advocacy, software development, and open source. He aims to get developers and non-technical collaborators to work well together via experimentation, feedback, and iteration so they ...
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