What is open source security?
Open-source security protects software built with publicly available code. It involves finding vulnerabilities, assessing risks, and implementing safeguards throughout the software lifecycle. These practices keep open-source projects secure from development to production.
Because open-source software plays a key role in software development its security has never been more essential. Powering everything from operating systems like Linux to databases like PostgreSQL, OSS is here to stay. And with the rise of cloud services and AI technologies, which often rely on OSS, open-source adoption is poised to increase. According to a report by Red Hat, 95% of IT leaders agree that open-source solutions are strategically important to their organization’'s overall enterprise infrastructure software strategy.
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OSS helps developers innovate faster by building on existing code. The collaborative nature means more eyes spotting and fixing security issues. Organizations also save money by avoiding licensing fees while gaining the flexibility to customize software for their needs.
However, leveraging OSS also brings significant security challenges. The very attributes that make OSS appealing – its open, collaborative nature – can also make it vulnerable to security threats. Without following security best practices, organizations risk exposing themselves to myriad security vulnerabilities that can be exploited by malicious actors.
Let’'s start with a closer look at threats associated with open-source software.
The risks of open-source software
Dependency vulnerabilities: Many OSS projects rely on a network of dependencies. A vulnerability in one dependency can cascade through the entire software stack, creating widespread security issues.
Inadequate maintenance: Not all OSS projects receive equal attention and maintenance. In fact, one study found that much of the most widely used FOSS is developed by only a handful of contributors. This can lead to projects becoming outdated, with unpatched vulnerabilities lingering in the codebase, and is particularly problematic for widely used libraries that are no longer actively maintained.
Supply chain attacks: OSS can be a target for supply chain attacks, where attackers compromise a piece of software at its source or during its distribution.
Code tampering and malware insertion: Anyone can contribute to open-source projects, creating risk if contributions aren't properly reviewed. The npm ecosystem has seen malicious packages that infected thousands of dependent projects.
Real-world examples of OSS security breaches
OSS security breaches can impact millions of users and critical systems worldwide. Here are some major incidents that demonstrate why strong security practices matter:
Log4j vulnerability (Log4Shell): Discovered in November 2021, this flaw in the widely used Java logging library Log4j was identified by CISA as a critical remote code execution (RCE) vulnerability that allowed attackers to run arbitrary code on affected systems. Given Log4j's widespread use, the vulnerability had a massive impact, prompting urgent patches and mitigation efforts across the tech industry.
Heartbleed Bug: This 2014 OpenSSL vulnerability let attackers steal sensitive data from server memory, including encryption keys and passwords. Its widespread impact included major breaches at platforms like Yahoo.
XZ Utils vulnerability (CVE-2024-3094): Found in 2024, this critical RCE vulnerability contained malicious code that could compromise Linux distributions. The backdoor highlighted how even trusted compression utilities can become attack vectors, as detailed in the Wiz State of Code Security Report 2025.
CI/CD Pipeline Security Best Practices [Cheat Sheet]
In this 13 page cheat sheet we'll cover best practices in the following areas of the CI/CD pipeline: infrastructure security, code security, secrets management, access and authentication, and monitoring and response.
Best practices for securing open-source software
1. Keep an inventory of open-source components
Maintaining an inventory of all OSS components is essential for managing updates and patches, with government agencies like CISA outlining best practices for software transparency and supply chain security. This visibility helps you quickly identify which systems need attention when new vulnerabilities emerge.
Leverage up-to-date inventories: An up-to-date inventory makes it easier to apply patches and manage dependencies, a practice demonstrated in the Colgate-Palmolive case study. Regularly review your inventory to identify unmaintained components and replace them promptly.
Manage your OSS inventory: Solutions like Wiz for Supply Chain Security offer comprehensive capabilities for managing OSS inventories through code scanning. Wiz provides a centralized view of your software bill of materials (SBOM) across cloud environments using an agentless approach. Wiz's search capabilities help you quickly locate specific libraries, identify vulnerable components, and generate compliance reports.
2. Use trusted sources
Choosing reputable sources for OSS is crucial for maintaining software integrity and security. Follow these actionable steps for peace of mind:
Vet sources carefully: Download OSS only from official repositories or well-known sources. Verify the project’'s popularity, community activity, and maintenance status. Projects with active communities and regular updates are more likely to be secure.
Verify the integrity of downloaded components: Use tools like sigstore to verify authenticity and integrity. sigstore provide secure methods to sign and verify software artifacts, ensuring components haven't been tampered with.
3. Regularly update and patch
Keeping components updated is fundamental for securing open-source tools. Staying current helps mitigate known vulnerabilities that attackers could exploit. Here are some tips to put into practice:
Apply patches and updates right away: Software vulnerabilities are often disclosed publicly and must be addressed quickly to prevent exploitation, as highlighted in the Bridgewater Associates case study. For example, during the Log4Shell crisis, CISA urged to upgrade to patched versions to mitigate the widespread threat. The Heartbleed vulnerability illustrates the consequences of unpatched security flaws.
Take a strategic approach: Efficiently managing updates and patches requires a systematic approach. Automated tools like Dependabot can streamline this process on GitHub. Implementing such tools in your CI/CD pipeline ensures updates are handled promptly and with minimal manual intervention.
4. Conduct thorough security assessments
Regular security audits help you find and fix OSS vulnerabilities before attackers can exploit them. Here's how to conduct effective assessments:
Conduct regular security audits: Audits should include code reviews, configuration reviews, and dependency checks. Also evaluate access controls, data protection measures, and security policy compliance.
Leverage automation: Use both automated and manual techniques. Tools like OWASP Dependency-Check or Dependabot scan for known vulnerabilities. Manual code reviews and penetration testing uncover issues automated tools might miss.
5. Monitor for vulnerabilities
Continuous monitoring is critical for responding promptly to new threats. Integrating monitoring into your workflow helps detect and address vulnerabilities in real time.
Take advantage of continuous monitoring: Solutions like Wiz provide continuous monitoring across cloud and software environments. These tools ensure new vulnerabilities are identified and addressed swiftly, a need underscored in the Wiz Cloud Attack Retrospective: 8 Common Threats to Watch for in 2025 report.
Regularly update and review monitoring protocols: Keep your monitoring tools and processes current to address evolving threats. This ensures your security measures remain effective against new vulnerability types.
6. Enforce license compliance
Verifying that all components adhere to their licenses is essential for managing OSS effectively. Here's how to maintain compliance:
Audit license compliance: Conduct periodic audits of all OSS components to verify license compliance. Take corrective action immediately for any non-compliant components.
Select a license compliance tool: Tools like Deps.dev and FOSSA help manage and verify compliance. Deps.dev provides insights into dependencies and licenses for quick issue identification. FOSSA offers automated scanning and continuous monitoring to ensure compliance with licensing terms.
7. Integrate security into DevOps (DevSecOps)
Embedding security into DevOps processes builds continuous security throughout development. This approach shows teams that security is everyone's responsibility. Follow these steps to maximize DevSecOps benefits:
Implement early security assessments: Conduct security assessments at initial development stages to address vulnerabilities early. This proactive approach reduces remediation costs and impact.
Automate security processes throughout the SDLC: Introduce security checks and automated testing at each CI/CD phase. Tools like the Wiz CLI integrate with pipelines like Jenkins to maintain security without slowing development.
8. Implement secure coding practices
When building OSS, secure coding practices are critical. Apply these practices throughout development to build robust and secure software:
Emphasize security in development: Input validation, proper error handling, encryption, and avoiding hardcoded secrets are fundamental. Following these practices reduces vulnerability introduction during development.
Follow established principles for secure coding: Adhere to principles like least privilege (PoLP), defense in depth, and fail-safe defaults. Tools like ESLint and SonarQube help enforce standards and detect issues early.
By following these best practices, you can significantly reduce your attack surface and enjoy OSS benefits while mitigating risks.
In our guide to code security tools, we cover the best OSS multi-lanaguage code security tools,such as:
- Semgrep
- SonarQube
- PMD
- Bearer
- Graudit
The Secure Coding Best Practices [Cheat Sheet]
With curated insights and easy-to-follow code snippets, this 11-page cheat sheet simplifies complex security concepts, empowering every developer to build secure, reliable applications.
Download Cheat Sheet
Open source security tools and solutions
Securing open-source software requires combining processes and tools. While manual checks matter, automation is key for managing security at scale. Open-source security tools fall into several categories:
Software Composition Analysis (SCA): These foundational tools scan projects to identify open-source components and dependencies. They check for known vulnerabilities and often report on license compliance.
Static Application Security Testing (SAST): SAST tools analyze source code for security flaws without executing the application. While not OSS-exclusive, they're crucial for finding vulnerabilities where custom code integrates with open-source libraries.
Dependency Checkers: Lightweight tools or plugins integrated into package managers (like npm audit) or CI/CD pipelines. They specifically check project dependencies against vulnerability databases.
While many point solutions exist, a modern approach requires a unified platform. Wiz integrates SCA and other security scanning directly into a cloud-native security platform. Its agentless approach provides a centralized SBOM for everything in your cloud, a capability leveraged by Schibsted. More importantly, Wiz correlates open-source vulnerabilities with cloud context—like network exposure, permissions, and data access—helping you prioritize risks that truly matter.
Secure your open-source software with Wiz
Securing open-source software is crucial for maintaining resilient software environments. To enhance your application security and stay ahead of emerging threats, explore the advanced solutions offered by Wiz.
Here's how Wiz fortifies your OSS security:
Continuous monitoring: Wiz provides real-time visibility into OSS components across cloud environments, ensuring immediate detection of vulnerabilities.
Security vulnerability detection: Our platform uses advanced scanning techniques to identify vulnerabilities in OSS dependencies and configurations during development and deployment.
SBOM: Wiz maintains an accurate, centralized inventory of all OSS components and their dependencies without requiring intrusive agents.
Auto-remediation: Our tools enable quick resolution of identified vulnerabilities and misconfigurations through automated workflows integrated into CI/CD pipelines.
Integration with developer tools: Wiz seamlessly integrates with popular developer platforms like GitHub, facilitating early detection and remediation of security issues within the development workflow.
Compliance and reporting: With detailed compliance reports and continuous monitoring, trust Wiz to ensure adherence to security standards and licensing requirements, as shown in the Private Research University case study.
By leveraging these features, Wiz helps you build, deploy, and maintain secure open-source software. To learn how Wiz can help you fortify your software security, schedule a free demo today.
By leveraging these features, Wiz helps you build, deploy, and maintain secure open-source software. To learn how Wiz can help you fortify your software security, schedule a free demo today.
