Not discrediting Open Source Software, but nothing is 100% safe.

  • Dr. Jenkem@lemmy.blugatch.tube
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    1 year ago

    A lot of bad takes in here.

    Here are a few things that apparently need to be stated:

    • Any code that is distributed can be audited, closed or open source.
    • It is easier to audit open source code because, well, you have the source code.
    • Closed source software can still be audited using reverse engineering techniques such as static analysis (reading the disassembly) or dynamic analysis (using a debugger to walk through the assembly at runtime) or both.
    • Examples of vulnerabilities published by independent researchers demonstrates 2 things: people are auditing open source software for security issues and people are in fact auditing closed source software for security issues
    • Vulnerabilities published by independent researchers doesn’t demonstrate any of the wild claims many of you think they do.
    • No software of a reasonable size is 100% secure. Closed or open doesn’t matter.
      • Dr. Jenkem@lemmy.blugatch.tube
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        1 year ago

        Second bullet point, it’s much easier to audit when you have the source code. Just wanted to point out it’s not important to audit closed source software. It’s just more time consuming and fewer people have the skills to do so.

    • theblueredditrefugee@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      1 year ago

      Closed source software can still be audited using reverse engineering techniques such as static analysis (reading the disassembly) or dynamic analysis (using a debugger to walk through the assembly at runtime) or both.

      How are you going to do that if it’s software-as-a-service?

      • Dr. Jenkem@lemmy.blugatch.tube
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        1 year ago

        See the first bullet point. I was referring to any code that is distributed.

        Yeah, there’s no way to really audit code running on a remote server with the exception of fuzzing. Hell, even FOSS can’t be properly audited on a remote server because you kind of have to trust that they’re running the version of the source code they say they are.