Software supply chain attacks increased 742% between 2020 and 2025. The trend continues upward in 2026. Every dependency you install is a potential entry point for attackers.

Here are five practical ways to protect your application.

1. Pin your dependencies to exact versions.

Version ranges like ^1.2.3 or >=2.0.0 mean your next deployment might pull a malicious update. Use exact versions and commit your lock files.

2. Run automated dependency scanning weekly.