Josef Prusa warns Chinese 3D printing software poses massive security risks — Bambu Lab allegedly violates AGPL license with an un-auditable network 'black box'
Josef Prusa, founder of Prusa Research, has raised concerns that Bambu Lab's 3D printing software violates the AGPL-3.0 open-source license by incorporating a closed-source networking component. He warns that such un-auditable 'black box' code poses not only a breach of open-source principles but also potential security risks. While Bambu Lab and other Chinese manufacturers use PrusaSlicer's codebase, their failure to comply with licensing terms undermines community trust and software transparency.
- ▪Josef Prusa claims Bambu Lab has violated the AGPL-3.0 license by using closed-source networking code in its BambuStudio software.
- ▪PrusaSlicer is built on open-source principles requiring derivative works to remain open, a condition Prusa alleges Bambu Lab has ignored.
- ▪Other major 3D printer manufacturers like Creality, Anycubic, and Elegoo also base their slicers on PrusaSlicer or its derivatives.
- ▪The use of un-auditable binary components in firmware raises potential security concerns, even for non-sensitive 3D printing applications.
- ▪Prusa emphasizes that open-source compliance is both a legal obligation and a matter of ethical responsibility to the developer community.
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| Publication time | Sun, 17 May 2026 11:20:00 +0000 |
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3D Printing Josef Prusa warns Chinese 3D printing software poses massive security risks — Bambu Lab allegedly violates AGPL license with an un-auditable network 'black box' News By Denise Bertacchi published 17 May 2026 Bambu Labs continues to draw fire. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. Josef Prusa at Formnext (Image credit: Tom's Hardware) Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter While the internet is up in arms over Bambu Lab threatening legal action against an indy OrcaSlicer developer, Josef Prusa once again warns of sheep in wolves' clothing.
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