Attacks through open source are growing year on year, so companies cannot rely only on periodic pen testing. The code needs to be scanned on a daily basis during the lifecycle of the application’s development stages, and continue to do so once an application is deployed.
Modern software development in fact heavily relies on open-source components: they accelerate development, reduce costs, and provide access to well-tested, community-maintained code. Understanding the composition of their software products is crucial for companies producing applications, as it helps manage and secure the significant portion of their codebase that originates from open-source projects.
Checking open-source components in software development is crucial for at least three reasons: let’s have a closer look and clarify the problems.
Security Risks
The code of open-source components is always publicly available and it is a natural target for hackers. Each day, more than 50 new vulnerabilities are discovered in open-source components and, if not identified and managed, they can be exploited, leading to security breaches.
Countless examples are available:
- the Canadian Revenue Agency hack (2014): OpenSSL Heartbleed (CVE-2014-0160)
- the Equifax data breach (2017): Apache Struts vulnerability (CVE-2017-5638)
- the iCloud and Minecraft hack (2021): Log4j vulnerability (CVE-2021-44228)
All these hacks were performed using a vulnerability in an open-source component: nothing was wrong with the code written by the respective developers.
How common are vulnerabilities? See, in this sample, the growth of vulnerabilities in the .NET open-source ecosystem:
Please note that this is a restricted view that matches exclusively only vulnerabilities affecting opensource components specific to the .NET ecosystem. Across all ecosystems, more than 100,000 vulnerabilities affecting open-source components are recorded.
The risks are real. If you want to learn more you can also read our blog here.
License compliance
Open-source components come with various licenses, each with specific requirements and restrictions. Failing to comply with these licenses can lead to legal issues, including copyright infringement claims.
Among all those, let’s not forget TruthSocial, the famous Twitter clone created by the Trump Media & Technology Group, was found to be in breach of an OSS license and had to disclose its source code publicly.
Also Tesla decided to release its code to the public to comply with a copyleft license. On another occasion. Westinghouse Digital Electronics preferred bankruptcy.
The risks are real. If you want to learn more you can also read our blog here.
Quality and reliability
While open-source software can be of high quality, this varies significantly, and some components might be abandoned or poorly maintained. Using such components can pose risks to the project’s stability and reliability.
Here introducing you Swashbuckle, a popular .NET project that has been abandoned by his creator for a more interesting adventures and now lays unmaintained and without an owner. It was last updated 6 (six) years ago.
Let’s also have a look at Lazy, another popular NodeJS component that was last updated 11 (eleven) years ago. While it’s a small library with a limited attach surface, why would you like to have this in your application? Software does not age like fine wine, unfortunately.
This is an example of two commonly used opensource components that have not been updated in years, a very long time in software development. Those components are basically not maintained anymore: if a problem is found, it won’t be fixed. If a vulnerability is there, nobody will know about it (apart from the occasional hacker, of course)
How Meterian SCA helps solve the challenge
Meterian offers a comprehensive application security platform designed to enhance the security posture, compliance adherence, and overall quality of software projects. This platform provides in-depth analysis and automation capabilities, empowering organisations to effectively manage open-source and third-party libraries throughout their software development lifecycle. Through its robust features, Meterian enables organisations to identify and mitigate vulnerabilities, ensure compliance with relevant regulations and standards, and maintain a high level of software quality.
Meterian is unique compared to its competitors because of various characteristics, let’s explore them
Supports the largest number of ecosystems
If you are using a legacy technology like Perl, focus on data science using Jupyter Notebooks, build video games with Unity, or build ultra-fast micro-services with Rust, you deserve the best protection available. Meterian supports a wide range of languages and ecosystems, and if your platform is not there, we will be happy to support it for you.
Easy to to deploy on premises or dedicated cloud
In the SaaS industry, the requirement for a dedicated single-tenant instance or an on-premises installation may be driven by specific business needs, such as tight security, data sovereignty, and geo-location considerations. Meterian can easily provide a single-tenant environment, either on-cloud or on-prem, and offers also a range of air-gapped solutions for extreme secure environments.
Comprehensive vulnerability database
Meterian’s vulnerability database not only boasts a broader coverage than any of its competitors but is also updated daily through a fully automated system that integrates numerous OSINT sources and Meterian’s specially curated databases, including AI-generated advisories directly from the analysis of open-source repositories. This automated process outpaces manual entry methods, ensuring we maintain a competitive edge through faster and more efficient updates, a key differentiation in our service offering.
Superior customer support
Speed, quality of responses, customer obsession, won deals because of this. We have a unique culture where the concept of “support” does not really exist, as all engineers are constantly working with customers. We want to be obsessed with customers, solve their problems quickly and effectively. Every customer support query is directly handled by engineers and is given priority in our backlog. This approach guarantees that our product evolves in response to real-world feedback, while also maintaining the highest level of customer satisfaction.
What next?
Don’t just take our word for it – experience the benefits for yourself. We invite you to schedule a demo to see how our solution can make a difference in your organisation’s security posture. Our team of experts is ready to guide you through the features and show you how it can address your specific security challenges. Take the first step towards a more secure future – reach out today and discover how Meterian can elevate your cybersecurity strategy.
Looking forward hearing from you.