INDUSTRY INSIGHT
How regulation could impact the open-source community
Cybersecurity has been in the spotlight ever since President Joe Biden issued an executive order in response to sophisticated cyberattacks earlier this year. The EO was followed up with a cybersecurity summit at the White House where programs focused on different aspects — from implementing zero trust to addressing the skills shortage — were announced. The steady flow of initiatives, culminating in the recent announcement by the Open Source Security Foundation of its $10 million commitment to supply-chain security highlights the urgency assigned by the administration to these cybersecurity measures.
These moves are especially crucial for one area that is being targeted by new initiatives: open-source security. Just as the issue of ransomware drew attention and calls for legislation, which is expected to rise to 30% by the end of 2025, similar calls for regulation may target open source.
The open-source community, which has created the free components that nearly all software and applications rely on today, can see changes on the horizon. After decades of freedom, security concerns drawing government attention and action might signal that the Wild West era of open source is nearing its end.
What’s at stake?
The open-source community has been a driving force behind software development, as a majority of all software and web applications utilize open-source components. From the early days of the Open Source Initiative and the free software movement, programmers have been collaborating on the creation of code. The community has existed for decades without government regulation, relying on self-governance, while continuing to embody a spirit of open collaboration and cooperation.
Today, developers around the world share and contribute to projects by fixing bugs, updating code and modifying it for different uses. This work is often done in their free time with no expectations that they maintain the project, which means developers are free to experiment and test ideas. As an ecosystem that fosters creativity and collaboration, the open-source community has garnered support from major companies in the technology industry, and as new and mutually beneficial business models emerge, commercial support continues to grow.
Addressing the cybersecurity risks with regulation
Just like any piece of software, open-source components can be exploited, and this makes security crucial, given their widespread usage in software development. Unfortunately, the community’s decentralized approach to open-source projects can be a double-edged sword. …….
Source: https://gcn.com/articles/2021/11/30/challenges-open-source-regulation.aspx