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Social engineering takeovers of open source projects (openssf.org)

822 points by mooreds · 831 days ago · 361 comments on HN

Article summary

The Open Source Security Foundation (OpenSSF) and OpenJS Foundation have issued an alert about social engineering takeovers of open source projects, citing a recent attempted takeover of the XZ Utils project. The alert warns of suspicious patterns in social engineering attacks, including friendly yet aggressive pursuit of maintainer status and requests to elevate unknown persons to maintainer status. The foundations are calling on open source maintainers to be vigilant and take steps to protect their projects. They also provide guidance on security best practices and resources to help secure open source projects.

Main themes

  • Social engineering attacks
  • Open source security
  • Maintainer trust
  • Code vulnerability
  • Corporate responsibility
  • Open source governance

What commenters say

  • Social engineering attacks on open source projects are a significant threat and can be used to compromise the security of critical infrastructure.
  • The use of Codes of Conduct can be exploited by malicious actors to manipulate and control open source projects.
  • Companies that rely on open source software have a responsibility to contribute back to the community and support the maintainers of the projects they use.
  • The lack of financial incentives for open source maintainers makes them vulnerable to bribery and coercion.
  • The culture of open source development can be used as a vector for social engineering attacks, particularly when combined with cancel culture and online harassment.
  • There is a need for a scoring framework to evaluate the security and criticality of open source projects, but such frameworks may be flawed or incomplete.
  • The transmission of misinformation can be facilitated by the normalization of certain argumentative styles and the erosion of trust in institutions and expertise.
  • Open source software may be more prone to social engineering attacks than closed source software due to its open nature and the ability of anyone to contribute code.