Faster Releases, Fewer Risks: A Study on Maven Artifact Vulnerabilities and Lifecycle Management
Md Shafiullah Shafin, Md. Fazle Rabbi, S. M. Mahedy Hasan, Minhaz F. Zibran · 2025
In modern software ecosystems, dependency management plays a critical role in ensuring secure and maintainable applications. However, understanding the relationship between release practices and their impact on vulnerabilities and update cycles remains a challenge. In this study, we analyze the release histories of $\mathbf{1 0, 0 0 0}$ Maven artifacts, covering over $\mathbf{2 0 3, 0 0 0}$ releases and 1.7 million dependencies. We evaluate how release speed affects software security and lifecycle. Our results show an inverse relationship between release speed and dependency outdatedness. Artifacts with more frequent releases maintain significantly shorter outdated times. We also find that faster release cycles are linked to fewer CVEs in dependency chains, indicating a strong negative correlation. These findings emphasize the importance of accelerated release strategies in reducing security risks and ensuring timely updates. Our research provides valuable insights for software developers, maintainers, and ecosystem managers.