gitops Addressing 4 Critical OSS Security Challenges with Weave GitOps Assured

[weaveworks]

Open-source software (OSS) is now a staple in nearly every company's technology stack. Recent trends show a significant surge in enterprise OSS adoption; the 2023 State of Open Source Report reveals that 80% of organizations have ramped up their use of OSS.

However, this increasing reliance on OSS is not without its challenges. According to the report, the top 3 support challenges for companies using open-source software are security related. Some of these challenges include maintaining security policies and compliance, overcoming skill shortages, keeping abreast of frequent updates, and addressing the gap in technical support.

Figure: OSS Support Challenges - Source

Each of these challenges can have costly consequences, be it time to develop, time to secure or upgrade a new patch, or worse, an exposed system for hackers.

This blog outlines OSS's top 4 security risks and how Weave GitOps Assured can help organizations mitigate them. First things first, let’s explain what Weave GitOps Assured is.

What is Weave GitOps Assured?

Weave GitOps Assured is a comprehensive solution designed for managing Kubernetes workloads, continuous and progressive delivery and policy. The subscription is a blend of 24/7/365 enterprise support and GitOps open-source software, including Flux CD, Flagger, Observability UI, Terraform Controller, Flamingo (Flux CD subsystem for Argo), Weave Policy Agent, and VSCode Plugin.

The solution offers features such as assured builds of Flux CD, a Flux CD GUI for full cluster and deployment observations, alerts, and notifications, and further Flux CD extensions like Policy agent and Terraform controller. Teams will also have access to a catalog of supported templates, tools, and plugins like GitOps for Visual Studio.

Weave GitOps Assured helps fortify the security of the GitOps toolkit components so that companies can confidently use OSS without full support from Weaveworks and minimal community reliance.

Top 4 Security Risks for OSS

Now let’s explore the top 4 security risks for open-source software and how Weave GitOps Assured can help fortify your products and services.

Security Risk #1: Vulnerabilities in open source dependencies

A key risk highlighted is the existence of security flaws in the open-source project and its external dependencies — other open-source elements it relies on. These vulnerabilities in dependencies have the potential to create severe problems in numerous major commercial software systems, similar to the unassuming Apache Log4j library, Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE)-2021-44228.

Weave GitOps Assured Safeguards: Enhanced & Proactive Security:

Weaveworks actively engages in the proactive remediation of CVEs and other security vulnerabilities. The Weave GitOps Assured package includes a certified distribution of all Flux CD, plus extensions and patches. Customers receive timely alerts for necessary system updates, facilitating the maintenance of current builds with the latest patches and updates across the entire Flux CD ecosystem.

Security Risk #2: License compliance risks

The second significant security risk lies in license compliance challenges associated with open-source applications and packages. Each of these comes with its unique usage license, which can present compatibility issues. There could be a mismatch between the license and the intended application use, or conflicting licenses among different components of the application. This becomes particularly problematic if a component violates legal or regulatory standards that the company must adhere to.

Weave GitOps Assured Safeguards: Centralized Policy Enforcement

With the Assured subscriptions, users can access the Weave Policy Engine, enabling automated security and compliance with organizational policies. This feature allows organizations to set and enforce policies governing access control, resource allocation, and other deployment aspects. Such centralized governance is instrumental in ensuring compliance, reducing the risk of errors, and preventing security breaches.

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