The Open Source Security Foundation (OpenSSF), the cross-industry forum focused on improving open source software security, has expanded its member list with the addition of names such as Accurics, Anchore, Bloomberg Finance, Cisco Systems, Codethink, Cybertrust Japan, OpenUK, ShiftLeft, Sonatype and Tidelift.
With open source software (OSS) becoming a central pillar of the application development lifecycle, ensuring the security of open source code is essential to securing modern software, regardless of whether it is used on end-user devices or in enterprise environments.
With open source software relying on a chain of third-party code, it’s often difficult for security teams to gain full visibility into the dependency supply chain, and any vulnerability there could lead to full network compromise.
[Also read: Library Dependencies and the Open Source Supply Chain Nightmare]
At the moment, OpenSSF has over 45 members and associate members that work together to improve the overall security of open source software. However anyone can participate in OpenSSF, even non-members.
The cross-industry initiative focuses on identifying security threats, ensuring that vulnerabilities are responsibly reported, securing critical projects, and promoting best practices, among others.
OpenSSF is also offering Scorecard, a project that delivers risk scores for open source software, to improve visibility into the security risks associated with dependencies and help developers, enterprises, and users alike make informed decisions.
An updated version of Scorecard was released in late June with many security checks, a redesigned architecture to periodically evaluate critical projects, and easier access to data.
Related: GitLab Releases Open Source Tool for Hunting Malicious Code in Dependencies
Related: Google Expands Open Source Vulnerabilities Database
Related: New Google Tool Helps Developers Visualize Dependencies of Open Source Projects