Adrian Johnson
TLDR:
- Open source maintainers facing security pressure after XZ Utils incident
- Report shows majority of maintainers are unpaid despite increased security standards
Open source maintainers are facing heightened pressure to meet security standards following the XZ Utils incident where a threat actor targeted the data compression software utility in Linux distributions. Despite the increased security demands, a report by Tidelift reveals that a large portion of maintainers remain unpaid. The report highlights an equity gap between open source developers and well-resourced software users pushing for higher security standards.
The multiyear social engineering campaign against XZ Utils brought attention to the unpaid status of many maintainers, who now spend about three times as much on security as before. Despite increased compliance pressures and efforts to ensure project security, about 60% of maintainers remain unpaid, with only 44% expressing a desire for compensation. The report underscores the need for more investment in open source security to protect the software supply chain.
While industry efforts are underway to boost security awareness among maintainers, there is still a significant gap in funding and support for these crucial contributors to open source projects. As the community works towards improved security measures, the issue of unpaid maintainers remains a key challenge that needs to be addressed to ensure the sustainability and security of open source software.
