diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index 495bd7d..2dda279 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -14,8 +14,8 @@ on:
 
 env:
   # Common versions
-  GO_VERSION: '1.21'
-  GOLANGCI_VERSION: 'v1.54.2'
+  GO_VERSION: '1.23'
+  GOLANGCI_VERSION: 'v1.61.0'
   DOCKER_BUILDX_VERSION: 'v0.8.2'
 
   # Common users. We can't run a step 'if secrets.XXX != ""' but we can run a
diff --git a/.github/workflows/promote.yaml b/.github/workflows/promote.yaml
index 8476b80..79a2236 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/promote.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/promote.yaml
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ on:
 
 env:
   # Common versions
-  GO_VERSION: '1.21'
+  GO_VERSION: '1.23'
 
   # Common users. We can't run a step 'if secrets.XXX != ""' but we can run
   # a step 'if env.XXX' != ""', so we copy these to succinctly test whether
diff --git a/.golangci.yml b/.golangci.yml
index 4181d24..e93710e 100644
--- a/.golangci.yml
+++ b/.golangci.yml
@@ -5,12 +5,9 @@
 run:
   deadline: 10m
 
-  skip-files:
-  - "zz_\\..+\\.go$"
-
 output:
   # colored-line-number|line-number|json|tab|checkstyle|code-climate, default is "colored-line-number"
-  format: colored-line-number
+  formats: colored-line-number
 
 linters-settings:
   errcheck:
@@ -25,7 +22,7 @@ linters-settings:
     # [deprecated] comma-separated list of pairs of the form pkg:regex
     # the regex is used to ignore names within pkg. (default "fmt:.*").
     # see https://github.com/kisielk/errcheck#the-deprecated-method for details
-    ignore: fmt:.*,io/ioutil:^Read.*
+    exclude-functions: fmt:.*,io/ioutil:^Read.*
 
   govet:
     # report about shadowed variables
@@ -108,11 +105,12 @@ linters-settings:
 
 linters:
   enable:
-    - megacheck
+    - gosimple
+    - staticcheck
+    - unused
     - govet
     - gocyclo
     - gocritic
-    - interfacer
     - goconst
     - goimports
     - gofmt  # We enable this as well as goimports for its simplify mode.
@@ -130,6 +128,10 @@ linters:
 
 
 issues:
+  # Excluding files
+  exclude-files:
+    - "zz_\\..+\\.go$"
+
   # Excluding configuration per-path and per-linter
   exclude-rules:
     # Exclude some linters from running on tests files.
@@ -141,7 +143,7 @@ issues:
         - gosec
         - scopelint
         - unparam
-    
+
     # Ease some gocritic warnings on test files.
     - path: _test\.go
       text: "(unnamedResult|exitAfterDefer)"
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 972da07..26a47dc 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ S3_BUCKET ?= crossplane.uptest.releases
 GO_REQUIRED_VERSION = 1.21
 # GOLANGCILINT_VERSION is inherited from build submodule by default.
 # Uncomment below if you need to override the version.
-# GOLANGCILINT_VERSION ?= 1.54.0
+GOLANGCILINT_VERSION ?= 1.61.0
 
 GO_STATIC_PACKAGES = $(GO_PROJECT)/cmd/uptest
 GO_LDFLAGS += -X $(GO_PROJECT)/internal/version.Version=$(VERSION)
diff --git a/internal/prepare.go b/internal/prepare.go
index f9f2e53..190fbfe 100644
--- a/internal/prepare.go
+++ b/internal/prepare.go
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ func (p *preparer) prepareManifests() ([]config.Manifest, error) {
 	if err := os.RemoveAll(caseDirectory); err != nil {
 		return nil, errors.Wrapf(err, "cannot clean directory %s", caseDirectory)
 	}
-	if err := os.MkdirAll(caseDirectory, os.ModePerm); err != nil {
+	if err := os.MkdirAll(caseDirectory, os.ModePerm); err != nil { //nolint:gosec // directory permissions are not critical here
 		return nil, errors.Wrapf(err, "cannot create directory %s", caseDirectory)
 	}