The security of open source software has rightfully garnered the industry’s attention, but solutions require consensus about the challenges and cooperation in the execution. The problem is complex and there are many facets to cover: supply chain, dependency management, identity, and build pipelines. Solutions come faster when the problem is well-framed; we propose a framework (“Know, Prevent, Fix”) for how the industry can think about vulnerabilities in open source and concrete areas to address first, including:
- Consensus on metadata and identity standards: We need consensus on fundamentals to tackle these complex problems as an industry. Agreements on metadata details and identities will enable automation, reduce the effort required to update software, and minimize the impact of vulnerabilities.
- Increased transparency and review for critical software: For software that is critical to security, we need to agree on development processes that ensure sufficient review, avoid unilateral changes, and transparently lead to well-defined, verifiable official versions.