We are pleased to announce that the Eclipse Foundation has been selected by the Sovereign Tech Agency for a new service agreement. Through this collaboration, the Sovereign Tech Fund—a program of the Sovereign Tech Agency—will invest in the development, improvement, and maintenance of open digital base technologies worldwide, driving significant security enhancements across Eclipse Foundation projects.

Why This Matters

Open source software is the backbone of countless industries and technologies. At the Eclipse Foundation, we host a diverse range of critical projects, including:

Recent reports indicate that cybercriminals are exploiting the Windows DLL side-loading technique using the legitimate jarsigner.exe executable to propagate malware. This binary is commonly included in Java distributions such as Eclipse Temurin, which is also bundled with the Eclipse Integrated Development Environment (IDE). This has understandably raised concerns about the role of our software and whether the Eclipse Foundation or its projects bear any responsibility.

As the Head of Security at the Eclipse Foundation, I want to clarify the situation, explain DLL side-loading, and reaffirm our commitment to security and collaboration with the community. My goal is to provide a clear understanding of both the technical aspects of this misuse and our approach to maintaining a secure ecosystem.

On November 20, 2024, the Board of Director of the Eclipse Foundation approved version 1.2 of its Security Policy. This update brings significant enhancements aimed at improving the management, resolution, and disclosure of vulnerabilities within the Eclipse community. Here’s a rundown of the key changes and what they mean for Eclipse projects and users.

In the fast-paced world of software development, open source has emerged as a catalyst for innovation. But with this rapid growth comes an equally crucial responsibility: security. As open source continues to reshape the digital landscape, ensuring robust security measures is no longer optional; it’s essential. That’s why Open Community Experience (OCX) is placing a strong emphasis on the latest advancements in open source security.

The Eclipse Foundation is pleased to announce the successful implementation of two-factor authentication (2FA) for all committers on both gitlab.eclipse.org and github.com. This initiative, aimed at bolstering the security of our source code repositories, mandates that all users with write access to an Eclipse Project repository (commonly known as committers) on GitHub and the Eclipse Foundation GitLab instance must use 2FA.

Two-factor authentication adds an extra layer of security by requiring not only a password but also a second form of verification. This significantly reduces the risk of unauthorized access and enhances the overall security of Eclipse Foundation projects.

A software provenance attestation is a signed document that associates metadata with an artifact, encompassing details like the artifact’s origin, build steps, and dependencies. This information is critical for verifying the artifact’s authenticity and integrity. Featuring a cryptographic signature, provenance attestation ensures the document remains unaltered, playing a vital role in mitigating supply chain attacks. By scrutinizing the provenance of binaries, users can thwart the execution of malicious code on their systems. Let’s delve into some concrete examples:

In the ever-evolving landscape of open-source software development, the creation and distribution of artifacts—such as compiled binaries, libraries, and documentation—represent the tangible results of a multifaceted process. These artifacts are more than just a collection of code; they are the final product of myriad decisions, alterations, and contributions, each with its unique narrative. It’s essential to grasp these narratives or the provenance of these artifacts, to secure the supply chain effectively. Moreover, the integrity and security of these artifacts are paramount, as they underpin the trust and reliability users expect. This post aims to demystify the concept of provenance for these released artifacts. We will delve into why a comprehensive understanding of their origins and the path they take—examined through the lens of the journalistic 5W1H (Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How)—is crucial for enhancing the security posture of an open source project’s supply chain.

As part of our ongoing commitment to fortifying the security of our software development processes, we’re excited to announce a significant enhancement for all Eclipse Foundation projects utilizing our Jenkins infrastructure. This advancement comes with the integration of Sigstore, a cutting-edge solution designed to bolster the security and integrity of software supply chains. By exploring the integration of Sigstore within the Eclipse Foundation’s Jenkins setup, this article sets out to demonstrate how this advancement is reshaping secure software development and deployment for Eclipse Foundation projects.

In the realm of open-source software, security of the supply chain is not just a concern—it’s a crucial battleground. The Eclipse Foundation, at the forefront of this fight, has taken a decisive step with its 2023 initiative to enforce two-factor authentication (2FA) across its platforms. This move is more than a security upgrade; it’s a testament to the Foundation’s commitment to safeguarding the open-source software supply chain against escalating threats.

We’re excited to announce that the Eclipse Foundation has successfully conducted a security audit for Eclipse Mosquitto, marking our fourth project audit this year. To enhance security, all Mosquitto users are urged to upgrade to the latest available version. All issues identified by the audit have been fixed in the source code.

An Eclipse IoT project, Eclipse Mosquitto provides a lightweight server implementation of the MQTT protocol that is suitable for all situations, from powerful servers to embedded and low power machines. Highly portable and compatible with numerous platforms, Mosquitto is a popular choice for embedded products.