Developing applications and working within the software supply chain requires hard skills such as coding and proficiency in programming languages. However, protecting the software supply chain also requires some softer skills and an openness to strategies and tools that will strengthen your security posture. In this two-part series, we will discuss these considerations and how they support a holistic approach to application security and software supply chain security.

Some things, like choosing tools, are perennial problems. Others, like complete security team turnover, seem to be a more recent development within my circles. But either way, staff turnover has ripple effects that are not always immediately apparent. Let’s take a look.

An open source license is a binding legal contract between author and user that declares the certain conditions in which a piece of software can be used, which is especially relevant in commercial applications. This license is what turns software components into open source components, allowing developers to use that software so long as they keep the specific terms and conditions laid out in the license. There are a lot of open source licenses, over 200 in fact.

Code doesn’t write itself and software doesn’t secure itself, as much as the race is on to make that happen. At the beginning and end of everything in software is people and, importantly, people interacting with each other. Having great tools doesn’t matter if no one uses them, and having great policies doesn’t matter if no one enforces them.

Generative AI and large language models (LLMs) seem to have burst onto the scene like a supernova. LLMs are machine learning models that are trained using enormous amounts of data to understand and generate human language. LLMs like ChatGPT and Bard have made a far wider audience aware of generative AI technology. Understandably, organizations that want to sharpen their competitive edge are keen to get on the bandwagon and harness the power of AI and LLMs.

We’ve said it before but it bears repeating: application security isn’t optional anymore. Customers at every level are demanding that the applications they use are secure from the start. Software vendors are well aware of this.

As the pace of application development accelerates, many companies face a growing challenge: how to reinforce security while keeping pace with the schedule of releases.

Mend Renovate is the industry leader in dependency management, downloaded more than a billion times — including by most of the top 10 tech giants — to help keep their applications safe and up to date. Its primary job is to scan your application software looking for external dependencies, and if newer versions are available, it will suggest code changes to upgrade you to the latest.

During Cybersecurity Awareness Month, we asked a panel of Mend.io’s finest minds what’s got their attention in the current cybersecurity landscape.

We’re delighted to announce that Mend.io has launched a new integration with Secure Code Warrior®, a platform that provides secure coding training and tools that help shift developer focus from vulnerability reaction to prevention.