GUARDRAILS Research

Extension security, explained from the evidence.

Technical analysis of IDE capabilities, supply-chain behavior, version changes, and the decisions security teams need to defend.

Methodology · 12 July 2026

Capability is not malware

Why shell, network, filesystem, and credential access need intent and correlation before they become a security conclusion.

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Field notes and methodology

Supply chain · 12 July 2026 · 5 min

The extension artifact is the boundary

A repository, publisher name, and download count cannot substitute for the exact bytes installed in the IDE.

Field guide · 12 July 2026 · 7 min

Reading an IDE extension decision

A practical guide to ALLOW, REVIEW, BLOCK, and INCOMPLETE without mistaking scores for certainty.