Techniques to secure open source software
Summary
Attackers are increasingly targeting open source projects, seeking to exploit holes in software that millions of organizations rely on as the foundation of their technology stacks. The staggering 280% year-over-year increase in software supply chain attacks in 2023 serves as a stark warning: open source projects and their leadership must elevate security to their highest priority. Zero-trust builds modernize open source software security by implementing three core principles: continuous validation, least privilege access, and system lockdown that assumes potential breaches. The FreeBSD project exemplifies these principles through its innovative SBOM tooling, which enables users of the open source operating system to track every software component, version, and license in their installations. By developing a straightforward standard for SBOM implementation, FreeBSD is making these security benefits accessible to the broader open source community.