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.
Artificial intelligence (AI) company Anthropic revealed that its latest large language model (LLM), Claude Opus 4.6, has found more than 500 previously unknown high-severity security flaws in open-source libraries, including Ghostscript, OpenSC, and CGIF
A disconnect exists between an organization's cybersecurity needs and lists like CISA's KEV Catalog. KEV Collider combines data from multiple open source vulnerability frameworks to help security teams quickly assess which are important, based on their priorities.
Open-Source Tool Security 'Dumpster Fire,' Experts WarnAn open-source AI assistant that exploded in popularity over the past month is exposing users to data theft, malicious code and runaway costs. Users can add functions called "skills" that connect assistants with different services - and hackers have been quick to add malicious examples.
Multiple critical vulnerabilities in the popular n8n open-source workflow automation platform allow escaping the confines of the environment and taking complete control of the host server. [...]
The Eclipse Foundation, which maintains the Open VSX Registry, has announced plans to enforce security checks before Microsoft Visual Studio Code (VS Code) extensions are published to the open-source repository to combat supply chain threats
Hacked Infrastructure Delivered Chinese Nation-State Group's Backdoor, Experts WarnThe widely used, open source text-editing software Notepad++ for Windows said attackers exploited a vulnerability to redirect some users to sites that pushed a backdoor onto their system. Security experts have tied the attack to a broader campaign perpetrated by Chinese nation-state actors.
A China-linked threat actor known as Lotus Blossom has been attributed with medium confidence to the recently discovered compromise of the infrastructure hosting Notepad++
Also, South Korea gets a pentesting F, US Treasury says bye bye to BAH, North Korean hackers evolve, and more Infosec in Brief As if AI weren't enough of a security concern, now researchers have discovered that open-source AI deployments may be an even bigger problem than those from commercial providers. …