Comments by: Jonathan Knudsen, Senior Security Strategist, at Synopsys Software Integrity Group

The recent cyber breach at McDonald’s is another example showing that every organisation is a software organisation. Fast food? Oil pipeline? Global shipping? Every organisation in every industry depends on software for critical business functions.

Consequently, every organisation in every industry must embrace a proactive approach to cybersecurity. Without a security mindset in all parts of the organisation, the risk of disaster is high. Organisations must recognise, at the highest levels of management, that the software they use every day is a part of their infrastructure, just like office buildings or stores or factories. As such, organisations need to select, deploy, and operate software with an eye toward security at every step.

As software becomes more entrenched in the fabric of society, and as criminals get better at exploiting weak security processes, good security hygiene will become a competitive differentiator. Eventually, organisations will see software security not as a cost center or hurdle, but as an enabler to a faster, more efficient, less risky future.