Unaware and Uncertain: Is the Open Source Community Prepared for the New Regulatory Reality of the Cyber Resilience Act?

In 2022, the Log4Shell vulnerability exposed a stark reality: open source software (OSS) is the foundation of the digital world, but without structured security processes, it can become a major attack vector. Log4j, a widely used open source logging library, was exploited by attackers, impacting thousands of organizations globally and forcing emergency security responses across industries.

Fast forward to today, and the stakes have only grown. With open source components making up as much as 96% of modern software, governments and regulators are stepping in to define cybersecurity standards for digital products. The European Union’s Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) is one of the most significant regulatory shifts yet. The CRA aims to ensure that software and hardware products meet strict security requirements throughout their lifecycle.

But the CRA doesn’t just affect commercial vendors, it introduces new responsibilities for open source software stewards—organizations that support, but don’t monetize, open source projects. This regulation acknowledges a fundamental challenge: security responsibility cannot solely rest on manufacturers who consume open source software; it must also involve the upstream communities that develop and maintain it.

Over the past few months, Linux Foundation Research fielded and analyzed a survey of open source community members on their awareness of the CRA and their organizational and project readiness to address regulatory obligations. Beyond measuring this readiness, the analysis collected actionable insights on how to support open source contributors in meeting emerging security standards. The full report is now published on the Linux Foundation website—download the PDF to read the full analysis!

...read more at linuxfoundation.org