Today’s early-stage startups face numerous challenges. One of the most critical is ensuring the security of their software supply chain to build trust with customers. Recent reports suggest that by 2025, 45% of organizations will experience a supply chain cyberattack1 and the total cost will reach $138 billion by 2031.2
As founders and technical experts, it’s essential to understand why software supply chain security matters, how to approach it, and what steps you can take to contribute to a more secure ecosystem. In this blog post, we’ll explore these aspects and highlight the role of the GitHub Secure Open Source Fund in supporting maintainers to improve security outcomes.
Why software supply chain security matters
Software supply chain security is crucial for several reasons—from protecting your business and your customers to compliance and regulation, and overall customer trust.
A security breach can have devastating consequences for your startup, including financial losses, reputational damage, and loss of customer trust. For some industries, there are strict security and compliance requirements. Ensuring your software supply chain is secure helps you meet these standards and avoid legal issues. Additionally, it is critical for navigating policies like Secure by Design and the European Union Cyber Resilience Act, and for long-term sustainability.
For all companies, customer trust is critical and users are increasingly concerned about the security of their data and information. Demonstrating a commitment to security can help build trust and differentiate your startup from competitors. You can hear a prime use case from Michael Vandi, a GitHub Accelerator Alumni, on how security helped differentiate his software and company.
How to approach software supply chain security
To effectively secure your software supply chain, consider the following steps:
- Identify and assess risks: Start by identifying the components of your software supply chain, including open source and third-party libraries, dependencies, and tools. Assess the risks associated with each component and prioritize them based on their potential impact.
- Implement security best practices: Adopt security best practices beyond regular code reviews, automated testing, and continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipelines like threat modeling, secure coding standards, and security testing at each stage of development. Ensure that your team is trained in secure coding practices like multifactor authentication, encryption, identifying and updating security patches, conducting comprehensive security audits and penetration testing, and stays up-to-date with the latest security trends.
- Monitor and respond: Establish incident response plans, continuously monitor your software supply chain for vulnerabilities, and respond promptly to any security incidents. Use tools like dependency scanners and vulnerability management platforms to stay informed about potential cyberthreats.
- Collaborate with the community: Engage with the security community and open-source communities to stay informed about the latest cyberthreats and updates, participate in security forums, and contribute to open-source security projects.
Contributing to a more secure ecosystem
Today, organizations invest $7.7 billion across the entire open-source ecosystem annually.³ As a startup, not only do you have the opportunity to apply for the fund to support your open-source projects, but you can also play a vital role in improving software supply chain security by contributing back to the open-source community. One way to do this is by contributing to the newly launched GitHub Secure Open Source Fund backed with $1.25 million in funding from organizations, including startups like Vercel and Chainguard. This fund provides financial support to open-source maintainers, enabling them to receive training and guidance to enhance security outcomes. By investing in maintainers, you help ensure that the open-source components you rely on are secure and well-maintained.
Additionally, you can contribute to the community by:
- Reporting vulnerabilities: If you discover a vulnerability in an open-source project, report it responsibly to the maintainers. This helps improve the security of the project and benefits the entire ecosystem.
- Contributing code: Contribute code to open-source projects, especially those that you depend on. This can include security patches, new features, or improvements to existing functionality.
- Sharing knowledge: Share your knowledge and experiences with the community through blog posts, talks, and workshops. By educating others about software supply chain security, you help raise awareness and promote best practices.
Alongside the Github Secure Open Source Fund, Microsoft for Startups also provides credits and technical support to the open-source community to improve security. Together, startups are empowered to learn more about how they can accelerate their open-source projects securely and sustainably.
What’s to come
Securing your software supply chain is a critical aspect of building a successful startup. By understanding the importance of software supply chain security, implementing best practices, and contributing back to the community, you can help create a more secure ecosystem for everyone. The GitHub Secure Open Source Fund is an excellent resource to support maintainers and improve security outcomes, ultimately benefiting your startup and the broader tech community.
Remember, security is a continuous journey, and staying vigilant is key to protecting your business and customers
1 Gartner Identifies Top Security and Risk Management Trends for 2022
2 2023 Software Supply Chain Attack Report
3 2024 Open Source Software Funding Report
