Ask any developer and there is a good chance they have used open-source code: in fact, a report published by the firm Synopsys reveals that 96% of the codebases evaluated in the study contain fragments of open source. Of these, only around 24% of the code was proprietary, while the rest was open source.
That is why it is important to understand the advantages and the cybersecurity risks of open source, as well as the tools available to protect our systems and prevent cyberattacks.
What is open source?
Open-source software and libraries are resources that anyone can inspect, use, or modify to adapt them to the program they want to build. Open-source code is generally free and available in repositories such as GitHub or npm.
These resources are created collaboratively and in a decentralized way, through peer review processes that are open to the public. Many programs used every day are open source, contain parts of their code that are open source, or have free versions available as alternatives.
Open source code stands in contrast to proprietary or closed-source tools. The latter are developed privately by organizations or companies and cannot be modified or inspected. Using them is not free; instead, access is governed by a system of licenses or subscriptions.
Although open source is usually free, some developers offer paid installation, troubleshooting, or support services.
Uses of open source in cybersecurity
The characteristics of open source make it very useful for developing cybersecurity tools and even for building other kinds of software for your company. There are thousands of libraries your IT team can use to build computer systems, saving the company work and money.
Below, we will explore a series of advantages and disadvantages associated with open-source software. This assessment will give us a more balanced view and help us better understand the impact and the value that this type of software can have in different contexts and projects.
Advantages
- They are free, since they are distributed in public repositories that any developer can consult.
- It can be audited by the IT team, since the source code is visible to anyone, which makes it more secure.
- It can be adapted to the needs of your program because, unlike closed source, the open source license allows you to modify it.
- It makes it possible to automate processes by reducing the time that would otherwise be spent building the software from scratch.
Disadvantages
- It may contain undiscovered vulnerabilities in the code, which can go unnoticed if it is not audited thoroughly.
- It may be compromised with malware if it is obtained from unverified sources.
- Components can fail if the original developers stop providing support, something less likely with closed source.
To get the most out of open-source software, it is important that your team receives training in cybersecurity. That way they can prevent or respond to cyberattacks.
The best open-source tools for cybersecurity
There are thousands of open-source tools focused on cybersecurity. Because they are open source, we can trust that different experts took part in their development and that the code has been tested and audited several times. They are the result of community-driven, decentralized work, not of a small group within a company.
Let’s look at some tools focused on minimizing cyberattacks that can be adapted to the needs of any company.
- Associated-Threat-Analyzer: this tool is used to identify malicious IPv4 addresses and domain names. For now, it can only be used on Linux-based operating systems.
- DNSWatch: this tool focuses on analyzing DNS traffic on specific networks to identify activity patterns and prevent attacks. It is only available for Linux-based systems.
- Holehe OSINT: this tool helps prevent phishing attacks by checking whether an email address and the accounts associated with it are real.
All of these tools provide protection against different cyberattack vectors, which carry a very high cost for companies.
Beyond these, there are tools that help gather information and collect data and open-source intelligence, also focused on cybersecurity.
- Maltego: a tool aimed at cybersecurity professionals for collecting information from multiple sources, grouping it, and presenting it in graphs.
- Shodan: a search engine for IT experts that shows results tailored to cybersecurity professionals, such as digital assets and network connections.
- TinEye: an image-focused search engine that uses machine learning to identify whether an image has been online and the websites where it has appeared.
Another useful tool for managing the cybersecurity of our systems is Charlotte AI, a piece of software that, although it is not open source, uses machine learning algorithms and natural language processing to identify threats through pattern recognition across the system.
Conclusion
Open-source tools offer many advantages for cybersecurity and for protecting sensitive data in your company, but it is important to have a specialized team in place.
That is why we created the Online Master’s in Cybersecurity and Digital Prevention, in collaboration with the World Compliance Association: with this program you can make the most of your potential and acquire all the knowledge you need to operate with complete security in your digital work environment.
You will not only cover the fundamentals of cybersecurity, but also have the opportunity to explore the many advantages that open-source software can offer in this field. Enroll today!
