What's in the SOSS? An OpenSSF Podcast

Join CRob as he sits down with Ram Iyengar, OpenSSF's India community representative, to explore the unique challenges and opportunities of promoting open source security in one of the world's largest developer communities. Ram shares his journey from computer science professor to developer evangelist, discusses the launch of LF India, and reveals why getting developers excited about security tools remains one of his bigg...

In this episode of What’s in the SOSS? host Yesenia Yser sits down with open source security engineer and community leader Tabatha DiDomenico for an inspiring conversation about her unexpected path into open source, the vibrant communities behind security, and her role as president of BSides Orlando.

From discovering Netscape in the early days to shaping security strategy at G-Research and OpenSSF, Tabatha shares how her c...

In this episode of What's in the SOSS, we sit down with longtime open source leader and DevOps champion Tracy Ragan. From her early days with the Eclipse Foundation to her current work with Ortelius, the Continuous Delivery Foundation, and the OpenSSF, Tracy shares her journey through the ever-evolving world of open source security.

We dig into the importance of configuration management, what DevSecOps really means, and how pro...

In this enlightening and entertaining episode of What's in the SOSS, host Yesenia Yser sits down with DEI strategist, social psychologist, and Star Wars superfan Dr. Eden-Reneé Hayes. From her academic roots to her entrepreneurial journey, Dr. Hayes shares how diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) drive sustainable growth—and how she found inspiration for her TED Talk in the wisdom of Yoda. The two discuss the...

In this episode of What's in the SOSS, host CRob interviews Clyde Seepersad from the LF Education Department. They discuss Clyde's journey into open source, the role of LF Education in supporting the community, and the importance of cybersecurity education. They also delve into the development of the Global IT Cyber Skills Framework, emphasizing the need for continuous learning and community engagement in the tech industr...

In this episode of What’s in the SOSS?, CRob sits down with Kevin Crosby and Xavier Rene-Corail from GitHub to unpack the GitHub Secure Open Source Fund - an innovative program that combines funding, education, and community to strengthen open source security. Learn how this unique initiative connects maintainers with training, resources, and a $10K stipend to scale security best practices. The trio also shares the origins of the f...

In this special episode of What’s in the SoSS?, we welcome Stacey Potter, the new Community Manager at the Open Source Security Foundation (OpenSSF). Stacey shares her winding journey from managing operations at a vitamin company to becoming a powerful advocate and connector in the open source world. We explore her community-first mindset, her work with CNCF and Platform Engineering Day, and her passion for inclusion and authentici...

In this episode of What’s in the SOSS, host CRob is joined by the “Council of Daves” - Dr. David Wheeler of the OpenSSF and Dave Russo from Red Hat — for a deep dive into the intersection of secure software development and education. From their open source origin stories to the challenges of educating developers and managers alike, this conversation covers key initiatives like the LFD121 course, upcoming resources on the EU Cyber R...

In this episode of What’s in the SOSS, we sit down with the OpenSSF’s new General Manager, Steve Fernandez — a seasoned enterprise tech leader whose resumé spans giants like L’Oréal, Coca-Cola, AIG, and Ford. Steve shares his “origin story,” what drew him into the world of open source, and how his decades of experience as a consumer of open source software are shaping his vision for the Foundation.

00:21 Welcome & Intr...

Robin Bender Ginn, Executive Director of the OpenJS Foundation, joins us to talk about JavaScript’s massive footprint, the challenges of sustaining critical open source projects, and the importance of security in the web ecosystem. She shares her journey, insights on community-led development, and how OpenJS is building a healthier future for the JavaScript ecosystem.

Learn more and register for JSConf North America: https://events....

In this inspiring episode of "What's in the SOSS?", we welcome our new Co-Host, cybersecurity expert and open source advocate Yesenia Yser. Join hosts CRob and Yesenia as they delve into her compelling journey from discovering open source at Red Hat to pioneering AI security at Microsoft. Learn how Yesenia blends her passion for cybersecurity, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and empowering communities—especially women—to shape ...

CRob is joined by Arun Gupta, Vice President and General Manager of Developer Programs at Intel and OpenSSF Governing Board Chair, and Zach Steindler, Principal Engineer at Github, a member of the OpenSSF TAC and co-chairs the OpenSSF Security Packages Repository Working Group to discuss the key lessons learned from open source security in 2024, the importance of the MVVSR (Mission, Vision, Values, Strategy, and Roadmap) framework,...

CRob is joined by Michael Lieberman, CTO and co-founder of Kusari, about the importance of supply chain security in the open source ecosystem. They discuss Michael's journey in open source, his contributions to projects like SLSA and GUAC and the future of supply chain security. 

• 01:56 - Michael explains how he got into open source
• 04:10 - The challenges of being a startup within the open source ecosystem
• 05:38 - Michael...

In this episode, CRob talks to Tara Tarakiyee, FOSS technologist at the Sovereign Tech Agency, which supports the development, improvement and maintenance of open digital infrastructure. The Sovereign Tech Agency’s goal is to sustainably strengthen the open source ecosystem, focusing on security, resilience, technological diversity and the people behind the code.

• 01:42 - Why the Sovereign Tech Fund became the Sovereign Tech...

In this episode, CRob talks to Michael Winser, Technical Strategist for Alpha-Omega, an associated project of the OpenSSF that with open source software project maintainers to systematically find new, as-yet-undiscovered vulnerabilities in open source code – and get them fixed – to improve global software supply chain security. 

• 01:00 - Michael shares his origin story into open source 
• 02:09 - How Alpha-Omega came to be
• 03:48 Alph...

CRob discusses package repository security with two people who know a lot about the topic. Zach Steindler is a principal engineer at Github, a member of the OpenSSF TAC and co-chairs the OpenSSF Security Packages Repository Working Group. Jack Cable is a senior technical advisor at CISA. Earlier this year, Zach and Jack published a helpful guide of best practices called “Principles for Package Repository Security.”

• 00:48 - Jack ...

In this episode, CRob talks to Rodrigo Freire, Red Hat's chief architect. They discuss high-profile incidents and vulnerability management in the open source community. Rodrigo has a distinguished track record of success and experience in several industries, especially high-performance and mission-critical environments in financial services. 

• 01:08 - Rodrigo shares his entry into open source
• 02:42 - Diving into the specifics...

In this episode, CRob talks to Stephanie Domas, CISO at Canonical, the creators of the popular operating system Ubuntu. Having started her career with over 10 years of ethical hacking, reverse engineering and advanced vulnerability analysis, Stephanie has a deep knowledge and passion for the hacker mindset.  

• 01:14: Stephanie shares how she got her start in security
• 05:41 Interesting things Stephanie has discovered since becoming...

In this episode, CRob discusses the finer points of developer relations (DevRel) with Katherine Druckman, Open Source Evangelist at Intel and co-chair of the OpenSSF Marketing Advisory Council and DevRel Community. Katherine enjoys sharing her passion for a variety of open source topics and is a long-time open source advocate, developer and podcaster. She’s currently the host of Open at Intel and co-host of the FLOSS Weekly and Rea...