In a thought-provoking piece published in Communications of the ACM, Russ Cox, a former lead developer of the Go programming language, calls for urgent improvements in securing software supply chains. Cox outlines several critical measures that organizations can implement today to strengthen their defenses against vulnerabilities and cyber threats.
One of the key recommendations is the adoption of software signatures, which allow developers to verify the authenticity of code and ensure it hasn’t been tampered with. Regular scanning for known vulnerabilities is also emphasized, along with the readiness to update and redeploy software swiftly when critical flaws are discovered. Cox further stresses the importance of transitioning development efforts to safer programming languages that minimize the risk of introducing vulnerabilities. Additionally, he underscores the need to fund open-source projects more effectively to prevent them from being exploited due to lack of resources.
Cox’s insights are supported by real-world examples, such as the Heartbleed vulnerability and the XZ attack, which were attributed in part to underfunded open-source development. The article also highlights the importance of reproducible builds and cryptographic authentication mechanisms, offering a comprehensive roadmap for improving software security in an increasingly interconnected digital landscape.
Reproducible builds, as explained in the article, are a critical step in ensuring that the binaries produced from source code match the original code, reducing the risk of hidden modifications. The Go project has made significant progress in this area, demonstrating that it’s possible to create reliable and verifiable software. Cryptographic signatures, as highlighted in the piece, play a vital role in authenticating software, ensuring that code has not been altered between signing and verification. However, the challenge of distributing and managing these cryptographic keys remains a key issue that needs to be addressed.
Cox also stresses the importance of rapid vulnerability fixes, arguing that software attacks must be made more difficult and expensive. The article concludes with a call to action, reminding readers that the use of source code from untrusted sources in critical applications is widespread, and the onus is on the community to ensure that this code is rigorously checked and secured.