Risk Management – You 2 Javascript

Strengthening Node.js Security: NodeSource and GitHub Partner to Boost Security for Software Developers

The NodeSource-GitHub partnership is a game-changer for developers seeking to build secure applications directly integrating NCM’s (Node Certified Modules) powerful security features into their GitHub Actions workflow. With our NCM GitHub App developers can easily add NCM to their repositories, configure organization-wide rules for vulnerability scanning and approval processes, and receive real-time reports on vulnerabilities in pull requests and deployment workflows that target a GitHub environment.

NCM is a core feature of N|Solid, providing enhanced security for Node.js applications in production environments. We help organizations & developers use Node to its fullest through __N|Solid__, the world’s best Node.js observability and security tool built on top of the Node.js runtime. It provides a secure environment for running Node.js applications and advanced features such as worker threads monitoring, memory leak detection, and CPU profiling.

This new integration with GitHub Actions Deployment Protection Rules streamlines managing open-source Node packages, ensuring compliance with licensing requirements, and helps developers proactively identify and mitigate security risks before they deploy their Node.js applications using GitHub Actions Workflows. It adds a valuable layer of security to the development and deployment workflows, enabling developers to identify and fix vulnerabilities before they become major security breaches, ultimately safeguarding Node.js applications and protecting critical data.

Simplifying Vulnerability Management for Open-Source Dependencies

Node.js applications and services rely heavily on open-source Node packages for their source code. Unfortunately, many of these packages have publicly disclosed vulnerabilities, often ignored or overlooked by developers. This can leave applications vulnerable to malicious code execution and secret leaks, potentially resulting in significant security breaches.

To mitigate this risk, developers must be vigilant when selecting and using Node packages in their projects and take prompt action when vulnerabilities are discovered. This requires staying informed about potential security issues and planning to address them.

NCM integration with GitHub Actions Deployment Protection Rules simplifies managing open-source Node packages. Users can add the NCM GitHub App to their repositories via the GitHub Marketplace and check NCM results in the Accounts Portal for every action, such as Pull Requests or Deployments.

With this integration, devs can:

Set up repositories to use the NCM GitHub App by searching and adding it via the GitHub Marketplace or using a direct link from the NodeSource Accounts Portal.

Check the NodeSource Accounts Portal for NCM results related to actions such as Pull Requests or Deployments configured in GitHub repositories.

NCM analyzes and approves or rejects every deployment flow based on organization-configured rules, ensuring secure project deployments.

Receive detailed reports attached to every Pull Request and deployment in configured repositories, indicating NCM’s findings with green or red status markers, helping users make informed security decisions.

Now, with the integration of NCM (Node Certified Modules) directly into N|Solid Console and through the __GitHub Marketplace__, users can access even more powerful toolsets for managing their Node.js applications. This integration streamlines managing open-source Node packages, allowing users to easily track and monitor package dependencies, scan for vulnerabilities, and ensure compliance with licensing requirements.

By leveraging the power of NCM within N|Solid Console and the GitHub Marketplace, organizations can effectively enhance their applications’ security and compliance while ensuring their stability and reliability. NCM provides a robust solution to proactively identify and address security risks, maintain compliance, and improve application performance. It empowers organizations to build and deploy secure, reliable, and compliant applications, ultimately protecting their reputation and mitigating risks associated with security breaches and compliance violations.

NCM is a powerful tool that greatly enhances application security, compliance, stability, and reliability. Organizations can proactively mitigate security risks, maintain compliance, and ensure application stability by integrating NCM into the deployment flow through N|Solid Console and the GitHub Marketplace. Embracing NCM as a part of the development process is a prudent choice for organizations prioritizing application security, compliance, and reliability in today’s dynamic software development landscape.

NCM – Deployment Protection Rule

GitHub Marketplace offers a range of third-party applications and services, such as code analysis tools, project management tools, continuous integration, deployment (CI/CD) tools, and security tools, among others, that can be integrated into pull requests and deployment workflows with GitHub Actions.

With its powerful feature set and certification program, NCM is an essential tool for any developer working with open-source Node packages.

Experience the Power of N|Solid

To get the best out of Node.js and experience the benefits of its integrated features, including OpenTelemetry support, SBOM integration, and machine learning capabilities.✍️ Sign up for a free trial and see how N|Solid can help you achieve your development and operations goals. #KnowyourNode

Software Bill of Materials (SBOMs) is how companies provide a comprehensive inventory of all the components, libraries, and dependencies used in a software system. This information helps organizations identify potential vulnerabilities and manage the risk of software supply chain attacks.

SBOM is a detailed list of all the components, libraries, and dependencies that make up a software system. It includes information such as the names and versions of the components, their sources, and any associated risks or vulnerabilities.

Just as a supply chain document in manufacturing and product development outlines the origin and journey of raw materials and components, a software bill of materials (SBOM) does the same for software components.

SBOM Adoption via Executive Order from the EEUU

On May 12, 2021, President Joe Biden released the Executive Order (EO) on Improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity with a specific requirement for SBOMs. Read here the executive order.

SBOM includes information on their origin, version, and security risk. Just as manufacturers rely on supply chain documentation to ensure the quality and safety of their products, organizations can use SBOMs to manage software supply chain risks and ensure the security and compliance of their software systems. In both cases, having accurate and up-to-date information is critical to making informed decisions and avoiding potential harm.

Since December 2022, in its v4.9.0, N|Solid has SBOM support (Software Bill of Materials).

N|Solid has added support for SBOM reporting in all applications connected to the N|Solid console; the report is offered in two formats: JSON and PDF; it contains the information for the dependency inventory of a specific application; it includes valuable information like licensing and the security status for each dependency used.

Start using SBOM in all applications connected to the N|Solid console START NOW

The role of SBOM:

The Linux Foundation released the results of a survey: The State of Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) and Cybersecurity Readiness, carried out within the framework of the US presidential order on SBOM, where 412 organizations worldwide participated in a survey. Here is the infographic with the highlights.

With the ever-increasing use of third-party components in software development, having an accurate and up-to-date SBOM is essential for ensuring the security and integrity of a company’s software systems; an organization can use SBOMs for many purposes. Some of them are:

Allow organizations visibility and control over their software supply chain, enabling them to make informed decisions about software security, compliance, and licensing.

Companies can proactively manage software risk, improve their cybersecurity posture, and protect their customers and critical data.

Comply with industry standards and regulations. This refers to the process of ensuring that an organization is using software in accordance with its license agreements. This includes ensuring that the software is being used within the terms of the license agreement and that the organization uses only the licenses it has purchased.

Compliance and customer Audit. Ensure that it meets the specified quality criteria. This may include testing, inspections, and reviews to identify any issues or defects and make sure that the product or service meets the customer’s requirements and the high standards of quality that the industry expects.

Despite the clear benefits of SBOMs, the use of SBOMs has traditionally been limited to more than just the largest and most advanced organizations. However, the increasing threat of software supply chain attacks and the growing recognition of the importance of SBOMs are expected to drive the widespread adoption of SBOMs in the near future.

The United States Executive Order on the Nation’s Cybersecurity outlines new requirements for SBOMs and other security measures for software used by federal agencies. This order highlights the importance of SBOMs in ensuring the security of software systems and demonstrates the growing recognition of their value in the industry.

Implementing SBOM in Your Organization

Companies are increasingly aware of their risks by needing to be clearer about their technologies, especially in the open-source ecosystem. according to the Linux Foundation survey, what are the key activities for securing the software supply chain? These answers serve as a basis for understanding the importance of this concept in the ecosystem.

Understanding the process of implementing an SBOM in your organization, from assessing your current software landscape to integrating the SBOM with your existing security and compliance tools, will help you to effectively manage software supply chain risks and ensure the security and compliance of your software systems.

Assessment: The first step is to assess the organization’s current software landscape and identify which software systems and components need to be included in the SBOM.

Inventory: Once the software systems and components have been identified, the next step is to create an inventory of all the components and their attributes, such as name, version, source, and any associated risks or vulnerabilities.

Automation: To ensure the SBOM is accurate and up-to-date, consider automating the SBOM creation process through tools or scripts that can extract information from source code and dependencies.

Integration: The SBOM should be integrated with the organization’s existing security and compliance tools, such as security assessment and license compliance tools, to ensure that the information contained in the SBOM can be effectively utilized.

Monitoring: Regular monitoring of the SBOM should be implemented to ensure that it remains up-to-date and that any changes or updates to software components are accurately reflected in the SBOM.

Review: The SBOM should be regularly reviewed to identify potential security risks or vulnerabilities and ensure compliance with industry standards and regulations.

Training: Finally, provide training to all relevant personnel, including developers and security teams, to ensure that the SBOM is being used effectively and that everyone understands the importance of keeping the SBOM up-to-date.

By following this path, organizations can effectively implement an SBOM and use it to manage software supply chain risks, improve their overall cybersecurity posture, and ensure compliance with industry standards and regulations.

Securing Your Software Supply Chain with N|Solid

N|Solid is a runtime, and a console for managing Node.js applications, providing a secure and reliable runtime environment for Node.js applications developed and distributed by NodeSource. N|Solid includes a range of features to help organizations, including security and performance monitoring, real-time visibility into applications, and the ability to identify and resolve issues quickly.

N|Solid Console has a dedicated section for __NodeSource Certified Modules__. (NCM) are a set of open-source npm packages vetted and certified by NodeSource, a company specializing in Node.js solutions. The certification process involves thorough security, quality, and compatibility testing to ensure that these modules meet high standards for security and performance.

By using NodeSource Certified Modules, organizations can be confident that they are using high-quality, secure, and reliable components in their Node.js applications. In addition, NodeSource provides ongoing maintenance and support for these modules, ensuring that they continue to work effectively and securely over time. By using NodeSource Certified Modules, organizations can simplify the process of selecting and using npm packages in their Node.js applications, helping to ensure that their applications are secure, reliable, and performing optimally for their users.

_NCM enables you to quickly and easily generate SBOMs that:
_

Identify all open-source libraries.
Track and document each component, including direct and transitive dependencies.
Update automatically when components change.
Identify vulnerabilities.
Provide a path to remediation that ensures updates are backward compatible and won’t break the build.

Illustrative Example of Software Life Cycle and Bill of Materials Assembly Line

According to the SBOM document, to stay compliant, the data fields that must be in an SBOM are:

Component name
Component version
Unique identifier for the software
Relationship with other dependencies
Developer name
Name of tool used to create the SBOM document
Document creation date and time

N|Solid complies with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) laying out the guidelines for an SBOM document.

Conclusion:

SBOMs are an important tool in the fight against software supply chain attacks. Organizations can better track and manage their software components and identify potential risks by incorporating them into the software development process. In addition, SBOMs provide valuable insights into the supply chain history of a product, helping to ensure that all components are sourced from reputable and trustworthy sources.

As a company, ensuring the security of the code and systems you use and create is important. That’s why it is truly important:

To ensure the security of open-source components in your supply chain, it is crucial to track their licenses, vulnerabilities, and associated risks.
To avoid coding security defects and weaknesses, it is important to know common attack methods such as buffer overflows, SQL injection, and cross-site scripting. Vulnerabilities can be difficult to identify, as someone often plants malicious code with in-depth knowledge of the system.
To secure your development and delivery infrastructure, it is recommended to conduct a binary analysis of the container images to inspect component signatures and identify any open-source components and sensitive data present.
To ensure the security of APIs and protocols used for communication with other systems, a lack of visibility and control can put critical systems and sensitive information at risk.

However, implementing SBOMs effectively can be a complex and time-consuming process, and organizations need to choose the right tools and processes to ensure the accuracy and relevance of their SBOMs. We are sure that N|Solid can help! 💪

If you are interested in more information about the supply chain and its associated risks, please contact us at [email protected] or on Twitter @nodesource.
To get the best out of Node.js, try N|Solid SaaS #KnowYourNode

Tag: Risk Management

Strengthening Node.js Security: NodeSource-GitHub Partnership