Open source security is rapidly becoming a major concern

A hand writing the words Open Source
(Image credit: Shutterstock)

The widespread use of open source software (OSS) within modern application development poses a “significant security risk”, new research suggests.

According to a new report from cybersecurity company Snyk, together with the Linux Foundation, today’s organizations are underprepared to tackle these risks.

Based on a survey of more than 550 respondents, as well as data pulled from 1.3 billion open source projects via Snyk Open Source, the report states that two in five (41%) firms are not confident in the security of their open source code.

Share your thoughts on Cybersecurity and get a free copy of the Hacker's Manual 2022end of this survey

<a href="https://polls.futureplc.com/poll/2022-cybersecurity-survey" data-link-merchant="polls.futureplc.com"" target="_blank">Share your thoughts on Cybersecurity and get a free copy of the Hacker's Manual 2022. Help us find how businesses are preparing for the post-Covid world and the implications of these activities on their cybersecurity plans. Enter your email at the <a href="https://polls.futureplc.com/poll/2022-cybersecurity-survey" data-link-merchant="polls.futureplc.com"" data-link-merchant="polls.futureplc.com"" target="_blank">end of this survey to get the bookazine, worth $10.99/£10.99.

Vulnerabilities in open source code

The average application development project, it was found, has 49 vulnerabilities, as well as 80 direct dependencies. Usually, it now takes 110 days to remedy a vulnerability in an open source project, up from 49 days four years ago.

“Software developers today have their own supply chains – instead of assembling car parts, they are assembling code by patching together existing open source components with their unique code. While this leads to increased productivity and innovation, it has also created significant security concerns,” said Matt Jarvis, Director, Developer Relations, Snyk. 

Jarvis added that there’s a certain “naivete” to the industry’s approach to open-source software, which could open the door to all manner of malware, ransomware and other attacks.

For example, less than half (49%) have a security policy for OSS development or usage, dropping down to 27% among medium and large-size companies. Furthermore, less than a third (30%) of organizations without an open-source security policy are aware of the fact that at the moment, no one is addressing the security of open source software.

But some respondents are aware of the security challenges posed by open source software in the supply chain. A quarter said they were concerned about the security impact of their dependencies on OSS, and only 18% said they were confident in the controls they’ve set up for their transitive dependencies, where 40% of all vulnerabilities were found.

Sead is a seasoned freelance journalist based in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. He writes about IT (cloud, IoT, 5G, VPN) and cybersecurity (ransomware, data breaches, laws and regulations). In his career, spanning more than a decade, he’s written for numerous media outlets, including Al Jazeera Balkans. He’s also held several modules on content writing for Represent Communications.