The Industry's Most Trusted Open Source Security Software

Open source security ensures every component used in your software supply chain is trustworthy, up-to-date, and vulnerability-free. With up to 90% of modern applications built on open source, even a single insecure dependency can expose your entire system. Open source security software is critical for protecting against breaches, reducing technical debt, and keeping innovation moving fast.

The single most important thing you can do to secure your open source software is to continuously monitor and manage your dependencies. Software composition analysis (SCA) is crucial. SCA identifies and manages open source components in your software to detect vulnerabilities, license risks, and outdated dependencies. Sonatype’s SCA detects vulnerabilities, license risks, and outdated libraries early — so you can secure your software supply chain and ship with confidence. Organizations must regularly monitor for new open source threats and apply patches quickly, use SBOMs to track components, apply strict version controls, have a system in place to fix transitive dependency risk, and automate upgrades. 

Implementing a strict policy for the usage of open source components and enforcing it through automated open source software security tools like Sonatype Lifecycle is crucial. Nexus Repository centralizes component management, Repository Firewall blocks risky artifacts, and SBOM Manager offers deep visibility for compliance and auditing. Together, they streamline builds and enhance protection.

To find and fix open source risk across your software development lifecycle (SDLC), you need tools that can identify all risk, not just common CVEs. Not all security tools are created equal. Sonatype's advanced open source security intelligence can help you defend against open source risks without slowing down development.

• Stop malware and other malicious components and AI models from entering your SDLC.

• Manage components and AI models securely with malware detection at the repository level.

• Track every vulnerability and malicious package to ensure your pipelines are healthy. 

• Ensure your SDLC remains secure with automatic policy enforcement and waivers. 

Security depends on proper governance. Open source projects can be more secure due to transparency and community scrutiny, but they also risk unpatched vulnerabilities if not actively maintained. Proprietary software limits visibility but often has dedicated security teams. Security depends more on practices than the model itself. With tools like those from Sonatype, you can track vulnerabilities, ensuring even open source components meet rigorous security standards.

The community addresses open source threats through transparent collaboration, rapid vulnerability disclosure, peer reviews, and timely patches. Many projects have dedicated security teams and responsible disclosure policies to ensure swift identification and resolution of threats. Sonatype enhances this by curating real-time vulnerability intelligence for faster remediation.

By automating governance, tracking licenses, and enforcing compliance policies, organizations can make huge strides in safely managing their open source usage. Maintaining complete SBOMs, using automated tools to track licenses and vulnerabilities, enforcing open source policies at every stage of development, and regularly scanning components to ensure they meet legal and security requirements.

Open source software security is at the heart of Sonatype’s mission. In our experience, there’s no substitute for using trusted sources, maintaining sound SBOM practices, scanning dependencies regularly, applying patches promptly, enforcing security policies with automation, and integrating security throughout the SDLC.

Stay updated by using automated tools that scan for vulnerabilities in real time. Subscribe to vulnerability databases (e.g., CVE, NVD), follow relevant GitHub repos, and join security mailing lists or community forums for timely alerts. Sonatype provides precise and timely vulnerability alerts through its Open Source Intelligence database, which covers 70% more vulnerabilities than other databases.