Memo: Keeping your OJS Installation Secure

By Famira Racy, updated December 2 2025

Is it time for you to update your Open Journal Systems (OJS) installation? What else can you do to keep your installation secure and take part in the shared responsibility? What resources are available to you? Continue on to get answers to these questions.

Is it time to upgrade?

No matter what version of OJS you are using, updates may be available for you. It’s important to keep up with updates — they aren’t difficult to implement, and they fix bugs as well as keep everything running smoothly and securely.

  • If you’re on OJS 3.3 LTS, you should update to the latest release (UPDATE: 3.3.0-22 was released November 24, 2025)
  • If you’re on OJS 3.4, you should update to the latest release (UPDATE: 3.4.0-10 was released November 24, 2025)
  • If you’re on OJS 3.5, you should update to the latest release (UPDATE: 3.5.0-2 was released November 28, 2025)

UPDATE: Please check the PKP Community Forum for updates on Docker image availability.

Check out what’s new, access the release notebooks, and download updates on PKP’s OJS Download page.

To get instant notifications, sign up to the PKP Community Forum and activate notifications for the “Announcements” category.

What about OMP and OPS?

Open Monograph Press (OMP) and Open Preprint Systems (OPS) share code with OJS, so updates for OMP and OPS are also available.

What else can you do to stay secure?

  • Use a strong password: it’s a simple habit that makes a big difference for your security.
  • Stick with a unique username: make sure your account details are distinct. Avoid generic usernames like “admin”.

Additional Resources

Share the responsibility

Maintaining decentralized, free and open source software is a community responsibility and we must all pitch in. Free and open source software thrives on shared responsibility.

We’re doing our part by monitoring and releasing new point updates and you can do yours by implementing those updates when they’re available. Help keep PKP FOSS safe and secure!

Remember to get instant notifications when new releases come out by signing up to the PKP Community Forum and activating notifications for the “Announcements” category.