2023-02-13T13:18:00Z

What is the best way to track open-source license compatibility?

Avigayil Henderson - PeerSpot reviewer
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3 Answers

ZvikaRonen - PeerSpot reviewer
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
2023-02-27T12:18:55Z
Feb 27, 2023

Open Source licenses require management and not just tracking.  


xGPL license is the 3rd most popular license in use. Alerting or blocking all xGPL licenses will be hard to manage and very costly to avoid/replace.








The best way is to implement an Open Source management program based on 4 main pillars: Written open source policy, open source use process, SCA tool (not necessarily a commercial one), and Training.


The policy should define the licenses approved for use based on the actual use case (internal/saas/distribute)


The process should clear the actions for open source selection, use, modification, update, etc


The tool should allow visibility of all open source components in all stages (plan, dev, production, etc) with alerts on policy violations.


The training should cover policy, process, and tool usability - it is mainly for the developers.


The management program needs to be operated by an open source program officer which will be supported by legal, information security & software architects. 


When a company doesn’t have the relevant competencies to manage open source internally they need to have on their side a trusted experienced advisor who knows how to do it effectively.

There are best practice standards for open source management like ISO5230 and its security assurance extension.



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VG
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
2023-02-24T03:53:27Z
Feb 24, 2023

We have used the following tools and they work well in giving a detailed licensing posture for open-source libraries - WhiteSource/Mend and CAST HL. Both of them give what licenses are in use and whether they are risky or ok to use.

For example, GPU license is always risky and it flags its usage in RED. 

Recent example around this:

"Vocal deepfake generator Voice AI Inc is accused of stealing GPL and LGPL code—by using it in violation of the licenses. Notably, the company doesn’t make available the source code of its product, as required by the GPL.


Voice.ai has been found to have violated the terms of the GPLv3 and LGPLv2.1 licenses in its software. In short, they’ve been packaging the open-source libraries that enable the software without adhering to their [license] terms.


The company had integrated code from Praat, a widely-used open-source speech analysis software, and libgcrypt, a cryptographic library, in its proprietary software without releasing the source code of its software or providing proper attribution."

LW
Consultant
2023-02-15T13:56:59Z
Feb 15, 2023

The best way to track free and open source software (FOSS) license compatibility is with a software license compatibility tool or a software composition analysis tool. It may depend on your budget and the size of your dev environment.


Another option is a license compatibility matrix. These solutions give you a view of FOSS compatibility with each other and help you figure out the various software components, that are under different licenses, that you can use together in a project. Possibilities include SPDX license list, Tidelift license finder, and FOSSology.

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Software Composition Analysis (SCA)
Software Composition Analysis (SCA) is a crucial process that helps organizations identify, assess, and manage open source components within their software applications. With SCA tools, businesses can achieve several benefits, including identifying open source components, assessing security risks, ensuring compliance with licenses, and enhancing overall software quality.
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