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Cybersecurity Insights with Contrast CISO David Lindner | 8/16/24

By David Lindner, Chief Information Security Officer

August 16, 2024

OSS AI open-source software

    
Cybersecurity Insights with Contrast CISO David Lindner | 8/16/24

Insight #1

A recent study found that chief information security officers (CISOs) are significantly more anxious about the growing complexity of cybersecurity than their chief information officer (CIO) and chief technology officer (CTO) counterparts. Nearly three-quarters of CISOs worry that cybersecurity management is becoming difficult to manage, forcing them to make risky compromises: a concern shared by less than 60% of CIOs and CTOs.

Insight #2

Today's software relies heavily on open-source components, making up the majority of its codebase. This vast amount of code requires substantial security measures. While the federal government's recently announced $11 million contribution is a step in the right direction, it's simply not enough to comprehensively address the problem. This initiative, while positive, needs significantly more funding — potentially billions — to make a real impact on open-source software security.

 

Insight #3

A recent study that utilized artificial intelligence (AI) to look through GitHub code repositories found that 35% of exposed application programming interface (API) keys are still active. This poses a major security risk and follows a similar pattern as exposed passwords within similar code repositories. Do code repo companies need to help here by enforcing controls to disable storage of sensitive credentials?

 
OSS AI open-source software
David Lindner, Chief Information Security Officer

David Lindner, Chief Information Security Officer

David is an experienced application security professional with over 20 years in cybersecurity. In addition to serving as the chief information security officer, David leads the Contrast Labs team that is focused on analyzing threat intelligence to help enterprise clients develop more proactive approaches to their application security programs. Throughout his career, David has worked within multiple disciplines in the security field—from application development, to network architecture design and support, to IT security and consulting, to security training, to application security. Over the past decade, David has specialized in all things related to mobile applications and securing them. He has worked with many clients across industry sectors, including financial, government, automobile, healthcare, and retail. David is an active participant in numerous bug bounty programs.

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