Minder: A Platform for Proactive Supply Chain Risk Management
In a significant move, Stacklok, an open source software supply chain company founded by Kubernetes co-creator Craig McLuckie and Sigstore creator Luke Hinds, has donated Minder, one of its key projects, to the Open Source Security Foundation (OpenSSF). Minder is designed to help development teams set up a system of proactive checks and policies to minimize supply chain risks. This donation aims to further enhance the security and sustainability of open source software.
Minder: A Platform for Integrating Security Capabilities
One of the key features of Minder is its extensibility, allowing it to become a platform for other OpenSSF projects to build on and integrate with. McLuckie envisions Minder as a community anchor that can form the basis for integrating various security tools, making them easier to operationalize. This integration framework has the potential to serve as a common ground for a rich ecosystem of open source security capabilities.
The Challenge of Open Source Security
McLuckie noted that most developers use open source libraries in their projects without fully understanding who is behind these libraries. He emphasized that it’s an act of faith, with many open source projects being developed by random people on the internet. This lack of awareness and transparency can lead to security risks, making proactive supply chain risk management essential.
The Importance of Proactive Supply Chain Risk Management
The recent SolarWinds attack has brought software supply chain security to the forefront. McLuckie cited a recent example where a hacking group affiliated with North Korea staged fake job interviews with developers working in the Web 3.0/crypto space and had them install an NPM package as part of their programming tests. The attackers used this infected package to gain access to the supply chain.
Minder’s Role in Intercepting Attacks
Tools like Minder have to intercept these attacks at the IDE, within the inner development loop. By the time it hits the pull request, it’s too late. McLuckie emphasized that Minder is designed to apply controls across the entire application life cycle, starting from the developer’s local package manager.
Goals for Minder
The donation of Minder to OpenSSF marks a significant step towards enhancing open source security and sustainability. McLuckie expressed his vision of having half of the world’s workloads secured by Minder in the future. This ambitious goal underscores the potential of Minder as a platform for integrating security capabilities.
Conclusion
The donation of Minder to OpenSSF highlights the importance of proactive supply chain risk management in open source software development. With its extensibility and integration framework, Minder has the potential to become a leading platform for open source security capabilities. As the adoption of Minder grows, so will the security and sustainability of open source software.
About Stacklok
Stacklok is an open source software supply chain company founded by Craig McLuckie and Luke Hinds. Its mission is to enhance the security and sustainability of open source software through proactive supply chain risk management.
About Open Source Security Foundation (OpenSSF)
The Open Source Security Foundation is a collaborative project that aims to improve the security and resilience of open source software. It brings together industry leaders, developers, and researchers to address the complex challenges faced by the open source community.
Sources
- Stacklok’s donation of Minder to OpenSSF
- McLuckie’s interview with TechCrunch
- Research on open source security and sustainability
