Software Supply Chain
Estimated time to read: 9 minutes
Software Supply Chain¶
A software supply chain refers to the steps between when a piece of software's source code is written and when it is used in its final operational environment. It encompasses the entire lifecycle of a software product, including its design, development, testing, distribution, and maintenance.
The software supply chain includes various entities such as developers, software vendors, third-party libraries, distribution networks, and end-users. Also, in some cases, things get more complicated as that involves the geolocation of where the code was written.
The software supply chain is becoming increasingly important because of the increased threat from cyber-attacks and, more recently, the US embargo on Huawei.
Risks¶
Throughout the software supply chain, there exist unique risks and potential security vulnerabilities at every stage.
Design & Development Developers may accidentally introduce bugs or vulnerabilities into the software's code. Additionally, the software may be designed without adequately considering security principles, leading to structural vulnerabilities.
Third-Party Libraries & Components Modern software often relies heavily on third-party libraries and components. If these elements have vulnerabilities or are maliciously compromised, they can affect the security of the entire software product.
Distribution Networks If a distribution network is compromised, malicious actors can tamper with the software in distribution by inserting malware or other unwanted code.
Maintenance & Updates Regular updates are necessary to patch security vulnerabilities and keep the software up-to-date. However, if the process of applying updates is compromised, it can be used as a vector to introduce malware or other security threats.
Prevention¶
These risks can be mitigated by implementing robust security controls at each step of the software supply chain.
Secure Development Practices These include techniques such as code review, static and dynamic analysis, and secure coding principles. They can help to reduce the likelihood of vulnerabilities being introduced during the development phase.
Software Composition Analysis This tool can help identify and manage a software project's third-party components, including pinpointing known vulnerabilities.
Secure Distribution Practices Implementing controls to ensure the integrity and authenticity of software as it is distributed can help to prevent tampering or compromise.
Patch Management: Regularly securely applying patches and updates is crucial to maintaining software security.
DevOps Methodologies for SecOps¶
DevOps plays a key role in ensuring the security of the software supply chain. The DevOps philosophy emphasises communication, collaboration, integration, automation, and close cooperation between development and operations teams. This can significantly enhance security in the following ways:
Security "Shift-Left" refers to incorporating security considerations early in the software development process rather than as an afterthought.
Automation DevOps promotes the use of automation which can be leveraged to integrate security tools and processes, reducing the possibility of human error.
Continuous Integration / Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) Through CI/CD pipelines, changes can be tested and applied quickly and consistently. This supports quick reactions to security threats or detected vulnerabilities.
Infrastructure as Code (IaC) This allows the infrastructure to be automatically and consistently deployed, reducing the chances of misconfiguration and increasing the repeatability of deployments.
Monitoring and Logging DevOps encourages real-time monitoring and logging, allowing teams to detect and respond to any security incidents quickly.
Ensuring the security¶
Ensuring the security of the software supply chain is crucial for the operational integrity of any organisation that relies on software for its business processes. Some best practices and compliance guides for securing the software supply chain are outlined here.
Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) Maintain a list of all components in your software, including open-source components. This allows for better visibility and easier management of components, mainly when vulnerabilities are discovered.
Vulnerability Management Regularly perform vulnerability assessments on all components in the software supply chain. This includes using tools for Software Composition Analysis (SCA) to identify and manage known vulnerabilities in third-party components.
Patch Management Establish a systematic approach to update or patch software components as soon as updates or patches become available.
Use Trusted Sources Only use trusted sources for your software components to reduce the risk of introducing malicious code or vulnerabilities into your software.
Security Training Provide regular security training to all staff involved in the software supply chain, including developers, operations staff, and quality assurance teams.
Implement DevSecOps Integrate security into the entire DevOps lifecycle, from the initial design and development stages through to deployment and maintenance. This includes security checks during the CI/CD process.
Automated Testing and Scanning Implement automated security testing as part of your CI/CD pipeline to catch potential issues before they become vulnerabilities in your live environment. The most common tools to use are SAST and DAST.
Secure Access Control Implement secure access controls for your development and production environments, including least privilege (PoLP) principles, strong authentication methods, and regular access reviews.
Monitor and Audit Regularly monitor and audit your software supply chain. This includes monitoring for abnormal behaviour that may indicate a security issue and regular audits to ensure compliance with all relevant regulations and standards.
Compliance¶
Different industries may have specific regulations that need to be adhered to, such as the GDPR for personal data in the EU or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) for health information in the U.S.
Furthermore, organisations should adhere to various ISO standards, like ISO/IEC 27001, which sets out the requirements for an information security management system (ISMS), and ISO/IEC 27002, which provides best practice recommendations on information security controls.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) also provides guidelines for supply chain risk management (NIST SP 800-161) and software development (NIST SP 800-160).
The Software Assurance Forum for Excellence in Code (SAFECode) is another organisation that provides guidance for secure software development.
These practices and guides can help ensure that your software supply chain is secure and that you comply with all relevant laws, regulations, and standards.
Software Licensing¶
Software licensing and provenance (origin) are key software supply chain management considerations.
Every software component used within your product, particularly open-source components, comes with its own license. These licenses define what you can and cannot do with the software.
Understand the licenses: Ensure you understand the requirements and restrictions of each license in your software supply chain. Some licenses require attribution, while others have more complex requirements, like the need to release any modifications to the software as open-source. You can find more details on licensing in the article: Open Source Free Licenses
Compatibility: Make sure that the licenses of your software components are compatible with each other and with your product's license. For instance, using a library with a copyleft license (like GPL) in a proprietary product can create legal complexities.
Automate License Compliance: Tools available can scan your software for its components and their licenses and alert you to any potential legal issues. Incorporate these into your CI/CD pipeline to catch issues early.
Legal Consultation: Consult a lawyer experienced in software licensing when in doubt. Misunderstanding or misapplying software licenses can lead to legal issues down the road.
Software Provenance¶
Understanding your software components' origin is crucial for security and compliance. Some points to consider include:
Use trusted sources As much as possible, download software from official, trusted sources. This reduces the risk of using compromised software.
Track software origins Maintain records of where your software components come from. This can help in investigations if a component turns out to be compromised or malicious.
Verify authenticity If possible, verify the authenticity of your software components. This could involve checking cryptographic signatures or hashes, for example.
Continuous Monitoring Continuously monitor and track any changes in the software components. Any unexpected changes should be thoroughly investigated.
Disclose Origins Depending on your industry, you may be required to disclose the origins of your software components to customers or regulatory bodies. Make sure you comply with these requirements.
Managing software licenses and provenance can be complex, but securing your software supply chain and ensuring legal compliance is crucial.
Open source software¶
Open-source software is ubiquitous in modern development practices, with many organisations leveraging open-source libraries and components to accelerate their software development process. However, using open-source software in your supply chain comes with its own set of challenges.
How can you effectively deal with it?
Understand the Licenses Open-source doesn't mean "free without obligations". Each open-source component has a license that specifies how it can be used, modified, and distributed. These licenses range from permissive (MIT, BSD) to copyleft (GPL, AGPL). Understanding these licenses and ensuring compliance is critical to avoid legal complications.
Monitor for Vulnerabilities Open-source components can have vulnerabilities like any other software. Use a Software Composition Analysis (SCA) tool to identify the open-source components you're using and monitor for any known vulnerabilities.
Regularly Update Open-source projects frequently release updates that include security patches. Regularly update your open-source components to the latest stable version to ensure you have these patches.
Participate in the Community Consider actively participating in the open-source community if resources allow. This can range from submitting bug reports and patches to sponsoring projects you rely heavily on. Active participation can lead to faster resolution of issues that affect your project.
Evaluate Security Practices Before integrating an open-source component into your project, evaluate the security practices of the project. Factors to consider may include how the project handles security vulnerabilities, the regularity of updates, and the activity level of the project.
Verify the Authenticity Download open-source components from a trusted source, preferably the official repository. Verify the integrity of the software through mechanisms like cryptographic hashes or digital signatures if provided.
Maintain a Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) An SBOM is a list of all components used in your software. This should include details such as the version number and download location for open-source components. An SBOM is invaluable for tracking and managing open-source usage.
Use Policy Enforcement Tools There are tools available that can enforce policies on the use of open-source libraries, such as only allowing the use of libraries with specific licenses or blocking libraries with known vulnerabilities.
Security Training for Developers Developers should be trained to understand the risks associated with using open-source components and best practices to mitigate those risks.
Incident Response Plan Have a plan in place to respond to issues with your open-source components, such as a vulnerability being discovered or a component being deprecated.
Open-source software is an invaluable resource in the software supply chain, but like all resources, it needs to be managed effectively and responsibly to ensure security and compliance.