As developers, we clone GitHub repositories almost every day. Sometimes to learn a new framework, sometimes to test an open-source project, and sometimes simply because a repository looks interesting. But here’s the problem: Running unknown code on your machine can be risky. (I’ve also heard many stories on LinkedIn about this kind of scam. Yes, this is a real scam, and some people share these repositories with candidates who believe they are going through a legitimate interview process) A simple npm install , pip install , or shell script may execute malicious commands, download hidden binaries, expose environment variables, or even install crypto miners. Open source is powerful, but “public” does not automatically mean “safe”. In this writing, we’ll go through a practical checklist to evaluate whether a GitHub repository looks trustworthy before running it locally. 1. Check the Repository Owner Before cloning anything, look at who owns the repository. Ask yourself: Is this a real developer or organization?…