Cyber Defense eMagazine July Edition for 2022

Mitigate Risk by Securing Third Party Software And
Environments
Software Security Requires Ongoing Vigilance Against New and Evolving Vulnerabilities
By Tim Kenney, Chief Operating Officer, SOOS
Businesses Need Software and Today’s Software is Built with Open Source.
Modern businesses need specialized software to run their organizations. Today, more than 90% of new
software is built on open source components called packages. Developers have access to an almost
limitless array of open source packages to build their products, which has been transformational for the
industry. Nearly every organization has adopted open source development; even the largest like Google,
Microsoft and IBM. It makes development faster, easier and economical. The software needs of a
business can get large: accounting, payroll, database management, asset management, communication
systems, websites, payments, and sales management to name only a subset few. Some verticals require
specialty software that interface with devices (IoT) and those devices contain software. You and your
clients need these systems up and running to deliver your products and services.
Attack Vectors May Be Lurking Inside Your Software
Unfortunately, each of these systems represents a security risk to an organization. Often, within the open
source components used to build custom software, vulnerabilities are lurking. This is the downside of
modern development. Ransomware attacks, fraudulent financial transactions, and leaked confidential
personal data all represent a reputational and financial risk for your business. Bad actors are waiting for
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