GitHub's repository scanning: protecting open source software and the software supply chain
Cybersecurity 101: protecting your software supply chain from sneaky cybercriminals with gitHub and Cyberfame
Prompt: line drawing of a tree with its roots spreading deep into the ground. The tree would represent the software supply chain, and the roots would symbolize the security measures needed to safeguard the supply chain. The roots would be a complex network of geometric shapes and patterns, pastel violet colours, representing the interconnectedness of the software supply chain's components. The branches of the tree would be straight lines, creating a minimalist and elegant presentation that resembles machine art
Let’s chat about the grim reality of cybercrime and supply chain attacks. Unfortunately, these attacks are becoming increasingly prevalent, and cybercriminals seem to have a particular appetite for targeting the software supply chain. The consequences for organizations can be severe: financial loss, reputational damage, and even legal woes. It’s like a game of Jenga; one false move can topple the whole tower.
But never fear! Organizations can safeguard their applications against security threats by proactively securing their software supply chain. It involves implementing secure coding practices and emphasizing security throughout the software development process.
Now, let’s talk about open-source software. It’s a double-edged sword: a powerful tool for quickly and efficiently creating applications, but it also comes with security risks. But wait, there’s a silver lining!
In November 2022, GitHub introduced a new feature that allows security researchers to report vulnerabilities directly to the maintainers of public repositories. It’s like having a watchful guard dog that can sniff out any potential threats and nip them in the bud. This innovative solution helps prevent vulnerabilities from being publicly disclosed and exploited by malicious actors, making open-source software more secure.
Now, let’s delve deeper into how you can benefit from the GitHub scanning feature and, with a cherry on top — how to take it a step (or even a mile!) further with Cyberfame’s GitHub repository scanning tool that automatically audits your repositories’ entire supply chain, several dependency degrees deep, with a clear score indicating dependencies with concerning security hygiene.
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GitHub’s private vulnerability reporting feature allows security researchers to report security issues to the project’s maintainers in private without accidentally disclosing vulnerability details. This feature enables organizations to quickly and securely receive reports about vulnerabilities and get insights on how to fix them promptly. By leveraging this feature, maintainers can proactively identify potential security issues before they become serious security incidents.
GitHub added new rules for deploying and verifying NPM packages to prevent attacks where hackers compromise dependencies to insert harmful code into software packages. NPM package provenance also provides more information about how the code was created, which builds trust in the software community.
GitHub’s secret scanning alerts service can detect potential threats by scanning public repositories for exposed secrets, such as passwords and API keys, that might put applications at risk. This feature has over 200 pre-existing rules and can detect more than 20 types of secrets. Once a secret is seen, the repository owner will receive a notification allowing them to take necessary actions to fix the issue promptly.
Cyberfame's Supply Chain Map for ukr.net
While GitHub’s security solutions offer innovative ways to address vulnerability reports, there remains ample opportunity to enhance further and integrate advanced security measures. Cyberfame answers questions like “What if you could automatically audit your repositories full supply chain, several dependency degrees deep, with a clear score indicating dependencies concerning security hygiene?” by providing a unique domain and GitHub repository scanning application that generates visually appealing network graphs to reveal vulnerabilities, display security ratings of network assets, and facilitate swift management and mitigation of exposures.
Cyberfame’s WebApp leverages an expanding collection of security scanning tools to gather data on assets such as websites and GitHub repositories. These tools, used asynchronously and concurrently, deliver a thorough security assessment of your supply chain, concentrating on three aspects: dependency risk analysis, vulnerability detection, and license compliance.
Assigning a security rating to each examined asset based on scan outcomes, Cyberfame’s WebApp considers factors like the severity of vulnerabilities, outdated dependencies, and license compliance. This enables users to pinpoint high-risk investments, address vulnerabilities, and enhance the overall security of their supply chain through large-scale graph analysis (Dijkstra, community detection, page rank) and security data science, ultimately fortifying their supply network with highly secure, well-tested, and maintained dependencies.
CyberFame allows users to leverage decades of graph theory for data analysis of the intrinsic map and network structure in supply chain security and cybersecurity by representing supply chains as graphs. The dynamic supply chain security graphs allow users to explore and analyze supply networks, displaying nodes and connections and highlighting security ratings, vulnerabilities, dependencies, and other vital data points.
Graph Theory and Data Analysis ships with a database of more than 1,200,000 pre-scanned and rated repositories and dependencies.
CyberFame’s advanced security features bring graph data-driven security reconnaissance, security policy design, resource allocation, and algorithmic mitigation of supply chain vulnerabilities to the forefront. With CyberFame’s dynamic supply chain security graphs, security scanning tools, and security ratings, users can explore and analyze supply networks, identify high-risk assets, and take appropriate measures to mitigate vulnerabilities and improve the overall security of their supply chain.
In addition, CyberFame’s platform allows users to perform large-scale graph analysis using algorithms such as Dijkstra, community detection, and page rank. This method allows users to understand the supply chain’s network structure better, identify vulnerabilities, and take proactive measures to mitigate them.
Developers can also benefit from CyberFame’s platform, which empowers them to make informed decisions when choosing dependencies. CyberFame’s supply chain security analysis gives developers a clear score indicating dependencies concerning security hygiene. This ensures that developers know the potential security risks associated with each dependence and can make informed decisions when selecting dependencies for their projects.
Moreover, CyberFame’s platform enables developers to continuously audit their repositories’ entire supply chain, several dependency degrees deep. This helps developers to identify and mitigate potential vulnerabilities before they become serious security incidents.
CyberFame’s platform also provides security researchers with an internet-scale map of software supply chains. This allows them to identify and analyze security risks and vulnerabilities across a vast network of repositories, enabling them to decide where to focus their efforts.
Furthermore, CyberFame’s platform allows security researchers to perform large-scale graph analysis and security data science to fortify supply networks with highly secure, well-tested, and maintained dependencies. This ensures the software supply chain remains secure and vulnerabilities are proactively identified and mitigated.
Cybersecurity threats continue to be a significant challenge for organizations, particularly in the software supply chain. GitHub’s security solutions have introduced innovative features that help organizations secure their software supply chain. However, there is still plenty of room for improvement and more advanced security solutions that complement and add to these features. This is where CyberFame comes in, offering a unique domain and GitHub repository scanning application that creates visual and rather beautiful network graphs that expose vulnerabilities, show network assets’ security ratings, and help manage and mitigate vulnerabilities quickly. CyberFame’s advanced security features bring graph data-driven security reconnaissance, security policy design, resource allocation, and algorithmic mitigation of supply chain vulnerabilities to the forefront.
CyberFame allows users to leverage decades of graph theory for data analysis of the intrinsic map and network structure in supply chain security and cybersecurity by representing supply chains as graphs. The dynamic supply chain security graphs allow users to explore and analyze supply networks, displaying nodes and connections and highlighting security ratings, vulnerabilities, dependencies, and other vital data points.
Overall, CyberFame’s platform allows organizations to continuously scan, map, rate, and monitor their software supply chain security with internet-scale maps. It ensures that the software supply chain remains secure, vulnerabilities are identified and mitigated proactively, and organizations can save time and resources compared to mitigating vulnerabilities in production systems.
Whether you need a solution for scanning and mapping vulnerabilities, data security, or fraud protection, CyberFame has the right product for you. It offers analytics and insights in a friendly graphical way that can help you improve your cyber resilience and reduce the risks of hacks of your software supply chain.
Don’t wait until it’s too late. Schedule a demo with us or talk to our experts to find out how CyberFame can meet your cyber security needs and budget.