Cloud tech firms highlight open-source security in White House meeting

White House officials met with leaders from leading cloud tech companies including Google, Amazon and Microsoft last week, in which they discussed the critical role open-source software plays in enabling the development of cybersecurity measures that benefit organizations from both the public and private sectors, SDxCentral reports. “The importance and pervasive use of open-source software along with an increasing range of security threats have made it clear that all stakeholders must work together with even greater diligence to ensure that these tools remain both open and secure,” according to a statement by Amazon Chief Security Officer Steve Schmidt after the meeting. Google Chief Legal Officer Kent Walker also released a blog post after the talks noting the company’s contributions to open-source software development and calling on the government to promote public and private investment in open-source security. The company also urged for the creation of baseline security, maintenance and testing standards for the government and industries so that open-source projects can continue to be employed for critical infrastructure and other vital systems.