"Organizations Are Scaling Back Their Open Source Software Due to Security Fears – Anaconda"
The latest research from the data science platform provider Anaconda, growing security concerns about open-source software are causing organizations to reduce their use. The annual 2022 State of Data Science report from the firm delves into the trends, opportunities, and perceived barriers confronting the data science, Machine Learning (ML), and Artificial Intelligence (AI) industries. Between April 25, 2022, and May 14, 2022, the study surveyed 3,493 academics, industry professionals, and students from 133 countries. Responses revealed that open-source security remains a major concern following recent incidents such as the Log4j breach and the rise of protestware. Of the professional respondents, 40 percent said that their organizations had reduced their use of open-source software in the previous twelve months, while 31 percent said that security vulnerabilities were the top challenge in the open-source community. Although most businesses use open-source software, 8 percent do not. According to Anaconda, 54 percent of that small group said the biggest reason is fear of potential vulnerabilities, exposures, or risks, a 13 percent increase from last year's report. The data also revealed that organizations are still concerned about talent shortages in the industry. Of the professional respondents, 90 percent expressed concern about the potential impact of a talent shortage, with 64 percent most concerned about their organization's ability to recruit and retain technical talent. This article continues to discuss key findings from Anaconda's 2022 State of Data Science report.