Open-source software enables code review and reuse, but known vulnerabilities and unmaintained dependencies can create cybersecurity risks.
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Background for this topic.
Open source is software whose source code is available under a license that permits use, inspection, modification, and redistribution. It may be developed by a community, an organization, or a small group of maintainers; “open” does not guarantee that the code is actively reviewed, supported, or secure.
For security teams, the main concerns are vulnerabilities in dependencies and the software supply chain: a maintainer account, release process, or package can be compromised, while an unmaintained component may retain known flaws. Public code can enable review and faster fixes, but visibility alone is not a control. Maintain an inventory or SBOM of open-source components, pin and verify versions or signatures where possible, monitor vulnerability advisories, and apply updates through a controlled process.
3 Major Tech Firms Shipped Vulnerable Open-Source Tools to Hugging FaceResearchers discovered remote code execution vulnerabilities in three AI libraries from Apple, Salesforce and Nvidia used by models with tens of millions of Hugging Face downloads, allowing attackers to hide malicious code in model metadata.
Growing Third-Party Breach Trend Is Spreading to AI SuppliersIT organizations have built processes for reducing vendor risk, but in the AI era, that operating model is being dismantled. Modern AI environments are built on dynamic external foundational models, countless APIs, open-source components and continuous data pipelines that pose risks.