Volume: 3 Issue: 12
(December 2017)

Keywords:
recent cyber attacks put spotlight risks open source software one fallouts recent significant data breach consumer credit reporting agency equifax

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Recent cyber attacks put spotlight on the risks of open source software

One of the fallouts from the recent significant data breach at consumer credit reporting agency Equifax has been that a spotlight has been placed on the implications from a cyber security perspective of using open source software, since the attack leading to the Equifax breach was achieved through a vulnerability in the Apache Struts open source web framework, enabling the perpetrators to access the databases that sit behind Equifax’s website. Chris Pace, Technology Advocate at threat intelligence provider Recorded Future, explores in this article why many organisations use open source software and how such software may be exploited, and explains what organisations can do to lessen the risks.