OpenSSF Hosts 2025 Policy Summit in Washington, D.C. to Tackle Open Source Security Challenges

WASHINGTON, March 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Open Source Security Foundation (OpenSSF) successfully hosted its 2025 Policy Summit in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, March 4. The summit brought together industry leaders and open source security experts to address key challenges in securing the software supply chain, with a focus on fostering harmonization for open source software (OSS) development and consumption in critical infrastructure sectors.

The event featured keynotes from OpenSSF leadership and industry experts, along with panel discussions and breakout sessions covering the latest policy developments, security frameworks, and industry best practices for open source software security.

"The OpenSSF is committed to tackling the most pressing security challenges facing the consumption of open source software in critical infrastructure and beyond," said Steve Fernandez, General Manager, OpenSSF. "Our recent Policy Summit highlighted the shared responsibility, common goals, and interest in strengthening the resilience of the open source ecosystem by bringing together the open source community, government, and industry leaders."

Key Themes and Discussions from the Summit

1. AI, Open Source, and Security

• AI security remains an emerging challenge: Unlike traditional software, AI has yet to experience a major security crisis akin to Heartbleed, leading to slower regulatory responses.
• Avoid premature regulation: Experts advised policymakers to allow industry-led security improvements before introducing regulation.
• Security guidance for AI developers: There is an increasing need for dedicated security frameworks for AI systems, akin to SLSA (Supply Chain Levels for Software Artifacts) in traditional software.

2. Software Supply Chain Security and OSS Consumption

• Balancing software repository governance: The summit explored whether package repositories should actively limit the use of outdated or vulnerable software, recognizing both the risks and ethical concerns of software curation.
• Improving package security transparency: Participants discussed ways to provide better lifecycle risk information to software consumers and whether a standardized framework for package deprecation and security backports should be introduced.
• Policy recommendations for secure OSS consumption: OpenSSF emphasized the need for cross-sector collaboration to align software security policies with global regulatory frameworks, such as the EU Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) and U.S. federal cybersecurity initiatives.

"The OpenSSF Policy Summit reaffirmed the importance of industry-led security initiatives," said Jim Zemlin, Executive Director of the Linux Foundation. "By bringing together experts from across industries and open source communities, we are ensuring that open source security remains a collaborative effort, shaping development practices that drive both innovation and security."

Following the summit, OpenSSF will continue to refine security guidance, best practices, and policy recommendations to enhance the security of open source software globally. The discussions from this event will inform ongoing initiatives, including the OSS Security Baseline, software repository security principles, and AI security frameworks.

For more information on OpenSSF's policy initiatives and how to get involved, visit openssf.org.

Supporting Quotes

"The 2025 Policy Summit was an amazing day of mind share and collaboration across different teams, from security, to DevOps, and policy makers. By uniting these critical voices, the day resulted in meaningful progress toward a more secure and resilient software supply chain that supports innovation across IT Teams."
– Tracy Ragan, CEO and Co-Founder DeployHub

"I was pleased to join the Linux Foundation OpenSSF Policy Summit 'Secure by Design' panel and share insights on improving the open source ecosystem via IBM's history of creating secure technology solutions for our clients," said Jamie Thomas, General Manager, Technology Lifecycle Services & IBM Enterprise Security Executive. "Open source has become an essential driver of innovation for artificial intelligence, hybrid cloud and quantum computing technologies, and we are pleased to see more regulators recognizing that the global open source community has become an essential digital public good."
– Jamie Thomas, General Manager, Software Defined Systems, IBM Systems and Technology Group

"I was delighted to join this year's OpenSSF Summit on behalf of JFrog as I believe strongly in the critical role public/private partnerships and collaboration plays in securing the future of open source innovation. Building trust in open source software requires a dedicated focus on security and software maturity. Teams must be equipped with tools to understand and vet open source packages, ensuring we address potential vulnerabilities while recognizing the need for ongoing updates. As the value of open source grows, securing proper funding for these efforts becomes essential to mitigate risks effectively."
– Paul Davis, U.S. Field CISO, JFrog

"Great event. I really enjoyed the discussions and the idea exchange between speakers, panelists and the audience. I especially liked the afternoon breakout discussion on AI, open source, and security."
– Bob Martin, Senior Software and Supply Chain Assurance Principal Engineer at the MITRE Corporation

"The Internet is plagued by chronic security risks, with a majority of companies relying on outdated and unsupported open source software, putting consumer privacy and national security at risk. As explored at the OpenSSF Policy Summit, we are at an inflection point for open source security and sustainability, and it's time to prioritize and invest in the open source projects that underpin our digital public infrastructure."
– Robin Bender Ginn, Executive Director, OpenJS Foundation

"It is always a privilege to speak at the OpenSSF Policy Summit in D.C. and converse with some of the brightest minds in security, government, and open source. The discussions we had about the evolving threat landscape, software supply chain security, and the policies needed to protect critical infrastructure were timely and essential. As the open source ecosystem expands with skyrocketing open source AI adoption, it's vital that we work collaboratively across sectors to ensure the tools and frameworks developers rely on are secure and resilient. I look forward to continuing these important conversations and furthering our collective mission of keeping open source safe and secure."
– Brian Fox, CTO and Co-Founder, Sonatype

"The OpenSSF Policy Summit highlighted the critical intersection of policy, technical innovation, and collaborative security efforts needed to protect our software supply chains and address emerging AI security challenges. By bringing together policy makers and technical practitioners, we're collectively building a more resilient open source ecosystem that benefits everyone, we look forward to future events and opportunities to collaborate with the OpenSSF to help strengthen this ecosystem."
– Jim Miller, Engineering Director of Blockchain and Cryptography, Trail of Bits

About the OpenSSF

The Open Source Security Foundation (OpenSSF) is a cross-industry initiative by the Linux Foundation that brings together the industry's most important open source security initiatives and the individuals and companies that support them. The OpenSSF is committed to collaboration and working both upstream and with existing communities to advance open source security for all. For more information, please visit us at openssf.org.

Media Contact
Noah Lehman
The Linux Foundation
[email protected]

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