Open Source Security
In-depth guides and analysis on open source security from the Safeguard engineering team.
412 articles
The Java ecosystem's recurring vulnerability classes: deserialization, XXE, and JNDI injection
Log4Shell scored a 10.0 CVSS and Spring4Shell followed five months later — both traced back to two patterns Java has repeated for a decade.
Top open-source vulnerabilities in the npm ecosystem
Sonatype logged 512,000+ malicious npm packages in a year — a 156% jump. Here are the recurring vulnerability classes and how to catch them in CI.
Recurring vulnerability patterns in the PyPI ecosystem
PyYAML shipped two rounds of deserialization fixes in under two years — CVE-2017-18342 and CVE-2020-14343 — because the underlying pattern kept resurfacing.
Contributing to open source securely: a guide for new maintainers and PR authors
It took roughly two years of trusted commits before the xz-utils backdoor shipped. Here's how new contributors avoid becoming the next weak link.
Bundler dependency resolution and safe Gemfile upgrade strategies
In May 2026 RubyGems suspended new signups after attackers mass-created accounts to flood the registry with malicious gems. Here's how Bundler actually resolves risk.
Building an Open-Source License Compliance Program That Flags Copyleft Risk in CI
Software Freedom Conservancy's suit against Vizio is headed to trial in August 2026 — proof that copyleft violations are litigated, not theoretical.
The 4 dimensions of open-source dependency risk
Open-source risk isn't one problem — CVEs, malware, license exposure, and abandonment each fail differently, and Sonatype logged 454,600+ malicious packages in 2025 alone.
Compromise of Legitimate Upstream Packages
From xz-utils to polyfill.io, attackers increasingly compromise packages developers already trust rather than planting fakes. Here's how these attacks work and how Safeguard catches them.
Unmaintained Open Source Software: A Supply Chain Risk
Unmaintained open source components quietly power critical software until a bug hits and no one is left to patch it. Here's the risk, and how to manage it.
How to publish a secure Python package: signing, SBOMs, and trusted publishing
PyPI enforced two-factor authentication for all users on January 1, 2024 — but 2FA alone doesn't stop a stolen API token. Here's the full secure-publishing stack.
What the curl CVE disclosures teach about patching embedded C libraries
curl.se lists 206 published CVEs across two decades — two 2023 disclosures show why transitive C-library patching needs its own discipline.
Dependabot vs. Renovate: Tuning Dependency Updates Without Drowning in PRs
Dependabot GA'd grouped security updates in March 2024 and cross-directory consolidation in February 2026 — both direct responses to teams muting bots entirely.
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