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The Dark Side of Open Source?
One of the beauties of open source software is that the code can be distributed freely under the same license. However, this advantage has been exploited recently by cybercriminals deploying various versions of Stealerium: an open source infostealer beloved by would-be sextortionists. It can monitor a device for when a browser is accessing NSFW content then take a screenshot and webcam photo simultaneously. Of course, this is done for illicit profits, in much the same way as unethical hackers offer Ransomware as a Service (RaaS). By placing the code for Stealerium on GitHub, bad actors were able to compose their own infostealer malware at no cost to themselves.
GitHub has since taken down the repository, but no doubt it lingers in darker corners of the Internet. This begs the question of whether an open source approach to software development is a good thing? I say yes, because transparency breeds stronger defenses. Open source utilities such as Snort and Wireshark can be used to detect network-level threats before they happen. Tools such as OSSEC and Wazuh also offer excellent intrusion/malware detection and response. Granted, rogue developers can spread their malware further by publishing the code, but legitimate open source projects vastly outnumber malicious ones and can hugely strengthen cybersecurity resilience.
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