Top password manager Dashlane has gone open-source with the code for its iOS and Android device apps, make it public for everyone to get a hold of.
In a blog post (opens in new tab) on the company’s website, it cited various reasons for opening up its code, such as increasing transparency and trust as well as wanting to contribute to a more integrated developer culture within the tech industry.
The code is available on the Dashlane GitHub, with separate pages for iOS (opens in new tab) and Android (opens in new tab) versions. The source codes are are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 license (opens in new tab).
Feedback welcome
Primarily used as a business password manager, Dashlane has followed the likes of mangers more focused on personal users, such as Bitwarden, in going open-source.
The firm said that it plans to “update these projects on a quarterly basis, and we might update more frequently in the future as we improve our internal capabilities and processes.”
Anyone from developers to curious customers, can explore the code behind Dashlane, to see the algorithms and logic at work behind the mobile apps. They will also be able to get an idea of how password managers work in general.
An advantage for business users, as the company points out, is that IT teams can audit the password manager, to make sure it complies with their company’s security policies.
Dashlane is also welcoming feedback from Android and iOS engineers on the quality of its code, as well as encouraging ethical hackers to test their skills and try and find vulnerabilities in it, asking that if they do, to report them to the HackerOne Bug Bounty program (opens in new tab).
While it is accepting this kind of engagement from the developer community, Dashlane states that it is not accepting contributions to its software code – yet. It does hope, however, that in future developers will be able make such contributions directly to the GitHub page.
Although most of the code is availble to the public, Dashlane warns that a full recreation of its software won’t be possible. As it puts it, “we’re sharing the recipe, but we had to leave out a few of the ingredients that make it our own.”
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