diff --git a/.golangci.next.yaml b/.golangci.next.yaml
index 49c1c6005..6b76d7b1d 100644
--- a/.golangci.next.yaml
+++ b/.golangci.next.yaml
@@ -26,6 +26,12 @@ linters:
     - wastedassign
 
 issues:
+  exclude-rules:
+    # We call external linters when they are installed: Flake8, ShellCheck, etc.
+    - linters: [gosec]
+      path: '_test[.]go$'
+      text: 'G204: Subprocess launched with variable'
+
   # https://github.com/golangci/golangci-lint/issues/2239
   exclude-use-default: false
 
diff --git a/internal/controller/postgrescluster/patroni_test.go b/internal/controller/postgrescluster/patroni_test.go
index b2a457685..4f1bbba0b 100644
--- a/internal/controller/postgrescluster/patroni_test.go
+++ b/internal/controller/postgrescluster/patroni_test.go
@@ -539,17 +539,17 @@ func TestReconcilePatroniSwitchover(t *testing.T) {
 			switch {
 			case timelineCall:
 				timelineCall = false
-				stdout.Write([]byte(`[{"Cluster": "hippo-ha", "Member": "hippo-instance1-67mc-0", "Host": "hippo-instance1-67mc-0.hippo-pods", "Role": "Leader", "State": "running", "TL": 4}, {"Cluster": "hippo-ha", "Member": "hippo-instance1-ltcf-0", "Host": "hippo-instance1-ltcf-0.hippo-pods", "Role": "Replica", "State": "running", "TL": 4, "Lag in MB": 0}]`))
+				_, _ = stdout.Write([]byte(`[{"Cluster": "hippo-ha", "Member": "hippo-instance1-67mc-0", "Host": "hippo-instance1-67mc-0.hippo-pods", "Role": "Leader", "State": "running", "TL": 4}, {"Cluster": "hippo-ha", "Member": "hippo-instance1-ltcf-0", "Host": "hippo-instance1-ltcf-0.hippo-pods", "Role": "Replica", "State": "running", "TL": 4, "Lag in MB": 0}]`))
 			case timelineCallNoLeader:
-				stdout.Write([]byte(`[{"Cluster": "hippo-ha", "Member": "hippo-instance1-ltcf-0", "Host": "hippo-instance1-ltcf-0.hippo-pods", "Role": "Replica", "State": "running", "TL": 4, "Lag in MB": 0}]`))
+				_, _ = stdout.Write([]byte(`[{"Cluster": "hippo-ha", "Member": "hippo-instance1-ltcf-0", "Host": "hippo-instance1-ltcf-0.hippo-pods", "Role": "Replica", "State": "running", "TL": 4, "Lag in MB": 0}]`))
 			case callError:
 				return errors.New("boom")
 			case callFails:
-				stdout.Write([]byte("bang"))
+				_, _ = stdout.Write([]byte("bang"))
 			case failover:
-				stdout.Write([]byte("failed over"))
+				_, _ = stdout.Write([]byte("failed over"))
 			default:
-				stdout.Write([]byte("switched over"))
+				_, _ = stdout.Write([]byte("switched over"))
 			}
 			return nil
 		},
diff --git a/internal/controller/standalone_pgadmin/users_test.go b/internal/controller/standalone_pgadmin/users_test.go
index 409fcea70..4a600424b 100644
--- a/internal/controller/standalone_pgadmin/users_test.go
+++ b/internal/controller/standalone_pgadmin/users_test.go
@@ -112,7 +112,7 @@ func TestReconcilePGAdminUsers(t *testing.T) {
 
 			// Simulate a v7 version of pgAdmin by setting stdout to "7" for
 			// podexec call in reconcilePGAdminMajorVersion
-			stdout.Write([]byte("7"))
+			_, _ = stdout.Write([]byte("7"))
 			return nil
 		}
 
@@ -147,7 +147,7 @@ func TestReconcilePGAdminUsers(t *testing.T) {
 
 			// Simulate a v7 version of pgAdmin by setting stdout to "7" for
 			// podexec call in reconcilePGAdminMajorVersion
-			stdout.Write([]byte("7"))
+			_, _ = stdout.Write([]byte("7"))
 			return nil
 		}
 
@@ -182,7 +182,7 @@ func TestReconcilePGAdminMajorVersion(t *testing.T) {
 
 			// Simulate a v7 version of pgAdmin by setting stdout to "7" for
 			// podexec call in reconcilePGAdminMajorVersion
-			stdout.Write([]byte("7"))
+			_, _ = stdout.Write([]byte("7"))
 			return nil
 		}
 
@@ -197,7 +197,7 @@ func TestReconcilePGAdminMajorVersion(t *testing.T) {
 			stdin io.Reader, stdout, stderr io.Writer, command ...string,
 		) error {
 			// Simulate the python call giving bad data (not a version int)
-			stdout.Write([]byte("asdfjkl;"))
+			_, _ = stdout.Write([]byte("asdfjkl;"))
 			return nil
 		}
 
@@ -547,7 +547,7 @@ func TestWritePGAdminUsers(t *testing.T) {
 		) error {
 			calls++
 
-			stderr.Write([]byte("issue running setup.py update-user command"))
+			_, _ = stderr.Write([]byte("issue running setup.py update-user command"))
 
 			return nil
 		}
@@ -627,7 +627,7 @@ func TestWritePGAdminUsers(t *testing.T) {
 		) error {
 			calls++
 
-			stderr.Write([]byte("issue running setup.py add-user command"))
+			_, _ = stderr.Write([]byte("issue running setup.py add-user command"))
 
 			return nil
 		}
@@ -655,7 +655,7 @@ func TestWritePGAdminUsers(t *testing.T) {
 		) error {
 			calls++
 
-			stdout.Write([]byte("Invalid email address"))
+			_, _ = stdout.Write([]byte("Invalid email address"))
 
 			return nil
 		}
@@ -684,7 +684,7 @@ func TestWritePGAdminUsers(t *testing.T) {
 		) error {
 			calls++
 
-			stdout.Write([]byte("Password must be at least 6 characters long"))
+			_, _ = stdout.Write([]byte("Password must be at least 6 characters long"))
 
 			return nil
 		}
diff --git a/internal/patroni/api_test.go b/internal/patroni/api_test.go
index 1603d2fc7..4eb561ad2 100644
--- a/internal/patroni/api_test.go
+++ b/internal/patroni/api_test.go
@@ -243,7 +243,7 @@ func TestExecutorGetTimeline(t *testing.T) {
 		tl, actual := Executor(func(
 			_ context.Context, stdin io.Reader, stdout, stderr io.Writer, command ...string,
 		) error {
-			stderr.Write([]byte(`no luck`))
+			_, _ = stderr.Write([]byte(`no luck`))
 			return nil
 		}).GetTimeline(context.Background())
 
@@ -255,7 +255,7 @@ func TestExecutorGetTimeline(t *testing.T) {
 		tl, actual := Executor(func(
 			_ context.Context, stdin io.Reader, stdout, stderr io.Writer, command ...string,
 		) error {
-			stdout.Write([]byte(`no luck`))
+			_, _ = stdout.Write([]byte(`no luck`))
 			return nil
 		}).GetTimeline(context.Background())
 
@@ -267,7 +267,7 @@ func TestExecutorGetTimeline(t *testing.T) {
 		tl, actual := Executor(func(
 			_ context.Context, stdin io.Reader, stdout, stderr io.Writer, command ...string,
 		) error {
-			stdout.Write([]byte(`[{"Cluster": "hippo-ha", "Member": "hippo-instance1-ltcf-0", "Host": "hippo-instance1-ltcf-0.hippo-pods", "Role": "Replica", "State": "running", "TL": 4, "Lag in MB": 0}]`))
+			_, _ = stdout.Write([]byte(`[{"Cluster": "hippo-ha", "Member": "hippo-instance1-ltcf-0", "Host": "hippo-instance1-ltcf-0.hippo-pods", "Role": "Replica", "State": "running", "TL": 4, "Lag in MB": 0}]`))
 			return nil
 		}).GetTimeline(context.Background())
 
@@ -279,7 +279,7 @@ func TestExecutorGetTimeline(t *testing.T) {
 		tl, actual := Executor(func(
 			_ context.Context, stdin io.Reader, stdout, stderr io.Writer, command ...string,
 		) error {
-			stdout.Write([]byte(`[{"Cluster": "hippo-ha", "Member": "hippo-instance1-67mc-0", "Host": "hippo-instance1-67mc-0.hippo-pods", "Role": "Leader", "State": "running", "TL": 4}, {"Cluster": "hippo-ha", "Member": "hippo-instance1-ltcf-0", "Host": "hippo-instance1-ltcf-0.hippo-pods", "Role": "Replica", "State": "running", "TL": 4, "Lag in MB": 0}]`))
+			_, _ = stdout.Write([]byte(`[{"Cluster": "hippo-ha", "Member": "hippo-instance1-67mc-0", "Host": "hippo-instance1-67mc-0.hippo-pods", "Role": "Leader", "State": "running", "TL": 4}, {"Cluster": "hippo-ha", "Member": "hippo-instance1-ltcf-0", "Host": "hippo-instance1-ltcf-0.hippo-pods", "Role": "Replica", "State": "running", "TL": 4, "Lag in MB": 0}]`))
 			return nil
 		}).GetTimeline(context.Background())