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.
Two critical vulnerabilities affecting the open-source forum software vBulletin have been discovered, with one confirmed to be actively exploited in the wild. [...]
New Open-Source Model Rivals OpenAI, While Treading Beijing's Red LineArtificial intelligence startup DeepSeek released Thursday an updated version of its flagship reasoning model months after its Chinese origin sent shockwaves through industry. The model is a glimpse into high-performance systems being trained and deployed under norms governed by Beijing.
It's only a matter of time before cybercriminals begin to use artificial intelligence-enabled tools, open-source software and other technologies to launch attacks to exploit sensitive genetic data, said Nicholas Morris, a practice manager at security firm Optiv.