Utilizing open-source software has become an integral component of the corporate world, and its advantages are increasingly recognized by a greater number of businesses. Unfortunately, as more companies adopt open-source solutions, more cyber criminals figure out how to exploit them. Open source infrastructures face an acutely heightened risk of cyberattacks on their supply chain systems. As cyberattacks have skyrocketed a staggering 700% in the last three years, immediate action is required to ensure organizations are taking all necessary steps to protect their systems against future threats. Businesses must prioritize security efforts and make safeguarding data a top priority if they want to remain undamaged from malicious attacks.Utilizing open-source software has become an integral component of the corporate world, and its advantages are increasingly recognized by a greater number of businesses. Unfortunately, as more companies adopt open-source solutions, more cyber criminals figure out how to exploit them. Open source infrastructures face an acutely heightened risk of cyberattacks on their supply chain systems. As cyberattacks have skyrocketed a staggering 700% in the last three years, immediate action is required to ensure organizations are taking all necessary steps to protect their systems against future threats. Businesses must prioritize security efforts and make safeguarding data a top priority if they want to remain undamaged from malicious attacks.
Alarming Increase in Open Source Cyber Attacks
The data from Sonatype's 8th annual State of the Software Supply Chain Report shows an average 700% jump in repository attacks over the past three years. Cybercriminals are taking advantage of the weaknesses in upstream open-source ecosystems by targeting organizations through open-source repositories. They contribute malware-infected software components that are distributed downstream and ingested by applications that businesses and consumers rely on. Sonatype's Repository Firewall has identified more than 55,000 newly published packages as malicious in open-source repositories over the past year, and nearly 95,000 over the past three years.
Importance of early detection
Brian Fox, co-founder and CTO of Sonatype, says, "Almost every modern business relies on open source. Clearly, the use of open source repositories as an entry point for malicious attacks shows no signs of slowing down–making the early detection of both known and unknown security vulnerabilities more important than ever." To protect software supply chains, it is paramount to proactively stop harmful components before they even have the chance to enter. This should always be a central topic of conversation when discussing risk reduction strategies.
Financial convenience for cyber attackers
A grave concern surrounding these cyberattacks is their potential for financial gain. For cybercriminals, digital supply chain attacks are direct high-return investments, and this trend is expected to continue. In the next five years, Sonatype forecasts that close to half of all organizations will become victims of a software supply chain attack. It is thus an urgent issue for companies both small and large alike.
Organizations are now facing a greater number of threats to their distributed enterprises, so it is crucial that they instate preventative measures to ensure their software supply chain remains safe. Early detection is key in this regard as by identifying malicious components before they enter the system we can successfully protect ourselves from attack.
Poor supply chain security policies
Last year, 64% of companies were victims of software supply chain attacks, and many were not equipped with the proper policies for employing open source. Sonatype researchers uncovered hundreds of fraudulent packages in both npm and PyPI repositories that posed a risk to unsuspecting users by executing remote access trojans (RATs). The same team further identified over 200 maliciously crafted npm packages, intended to target Microsoft Azure developers, with the purpose of stealing their Personally Identifiable Information (PII) data.
How can Cyberfame help to secure your supply chain
No organization can escape the use of open-source technologies and they shouldn't have to. If vulnerabilities are identified early enough, they can be removed before creating severe damage. Cyberfame's beta scanning and mapping tool provides preventative measures to protect the whole supply chain network in real time. By deploying this resource, your organization can minimize the risk of supply chain attacks while ensuring that software security is enhanced.
This way, you will have peace of mind knowing that with regular scans you are well-equipped to maintain a secure software supply chain at all times.
Our latest beta security scanning and mapping tool now available at cyberfame.io is the perfect solution for organizations looking to secure their supply chain and stay ahead of the increasing threat of cyber attacks. The tool scans and maps the entire software supply chain, providing a complete view of all the components and dependencies connected to an organization. It also identifies any security vulnerabilities, allowing organizations to take action before they become a problem. The benefits of using Cyberfame's tool include early detection of rated security vulnerabilities, improved software security, and reduced risk of supply chain attacks. Because to protect your organization you have to know where to start.
Visit cyberfame.io to try it out today.
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