diff --git a/src/3rdparty/squirrel/squirrel/sqapi.cpp b/src/3rdparty/squirrel/squirrel/sqapi.cpp
index 21d3312d2f..be1b9cd88d 100644
--- a/src/3rdparty/squirrel/squirrel/sqapi.cpp
+++ b/src/3rdparty/squirrel/squirrel/sqapi.cpp
@@ -583,7 +583,7 @@ SQInteger sq_getsize(HSQUIRRELVM v, SQInteger idx)
 	SQObjectPtr &o = stack_get(v, idx);
 	SQObjectType type = type(o);
 	switch(type) {
-	case OT_STRING:		return _string(o)->_len;
+	case OT_STRING:		return _string(o)->View().size();
 	case OT_TABLE:		return _table(o)->CountUsed();
 	case OT_ARRAY:		return _array(o)->Size();
 	case OT_USERDATA:	return _userdata(o)->_size;
diff --git a/src/3rdparty/squirrel/squirrel/sqbaselib.cpp b/src/3rdparty/squirrel/squirrel/sqbaselib.cpp
index 8942b2172a..4bc7672191 100644
--- a/src/3rdparty/squirrel/squirrel/sqbaselib.cpp
+++ b/src/3rdparty/squirrel/squirrel/sqbaselib.cpp
@@ -18,12 +18,13 @@
 
 #include "../../../safeguards.h"
 
-bool str2num(const SQChar *s,SQObjectPtr &res)
+bool str2num(std::string_view s,SQObjectPtr &res)
 {
-	SQChar *end;
-	if(strstr(s,".")){
-		SQFloat r = SQFloat(strtod(s,&end));
-		if(s == end) return false;
+	if(s.find('.') != std::string_view::npos){
+		SQChar *end;
+		std::string str{s};
+		SQFloat r = SQFloat(strtod(str.c_str(),&end));
+		if(str.c_str() == end) return false;
 		res = r;
 		return true;
 	}
@@ -632,12 +633,12 @@ static SQInteger string_slice(HSQUIRRELVM v)
 	SQInteger sidx,eidx;
 	SQObjectPtr o;
 	if(SQ_FAILED(get_slice_params(v,sidx,eidx,o)))return -1;
-	SQInteger slen = _string(o)->_len;
+	SQInteger slen = _string(o)->View().size();
 	if(sidx < 0)sidx = slen + sidx;
 	if(eidx < 0)eidx = slen + eidx;
 	if(eidx < sidx)	return sq_throwerror(v,"wrong indexes");
 	if(eidx > slen)	return sq_throwerror(v,"slice out of range");
-	v->Push(SQString::Create(_ss(v),std::string_view(&_stringval(o)[sidx],eidx-sidx)));
+	v->Push(SQString::Create(_ss(v),_stringval(o).substr(sidx,eidx-sidx)));
 	return 1;
 }
 
@@ -662,10 +663,10 @@ static SQInteger string_find(HSQUIRRELVM v)
 #define STRING_TOFUNCZ(func) static SQInteger string_##func(HSQUIRRELVM v) \
 { \
 	SQObject str=stack_get(v,1); \
-	SQInteger len=_string(str)->_len; \
-	const SQChar *sThis=_stringval(str); \
+	std::string_view sThis=_stringval(str); \
+	size_t len=sThis.size(); \
 	std::span<char> sNew=(_ss(v)->GetScratchPad(len)); \
-	for(SQInteger i=0;i<len;i++) sNew[i]=func(sThis[i]); \
+	for(size_t i=0;i<len;i++) sNew[i]=func(sThis[i]); \
 	v->Push(SQString::Create(_ss(v),std::string_view(sNew.data(), len))); \
 	return 1; \
 }
diff --git a/src/3rdparty/squirrel/squirrel/sqobject.cpp b/src/3rdparty/squirrel/squirrel/sqobject.cpp
index 016207f60c..754bd4d2e9 100644
--- a/src/3rdparty/squirrel/squirrel/sqobject.cpp
+++ b/src/3rdparty/squirrel/squirrel/sqobject.cpp
@@ -270,10 +270,13 @@ bool WriteObject(HSQUIRRELVM v,SQUserPointer up,SQWRITEFUNC write,SQObjectPtr &o
 {
 	_CHECK_IO(SafeWrite(v,write,up,&type(o),sizeof(SQObjectType)));
 	switch(type(o)){
-	case OT_STRING:
-		_CHECK_IO(SafeWrite(v,write,up,&_string(o)->_len,sizeof(SQInteger)));
-		_CHECK_IO(SafeWrite(v,write,up,_stringval(o),_string(o)->_len));
+	case OT_STRING: {
+		auto str = _string(o)->Span();
+		SQInteger len = str.size();
+		_CHECK_IO(SafeWrite(v,write,up,&len,sizeof(len)));
+		_CHECK_IO(SafeWrite(v,write,up,str.data(),len));
 		break;
+	}
 	case OT_INTEGER:
 		_CHECK_IO(SafeWrite(v,write,up,&_integer(o),sizeof(SQInteger)));break;
 	case OT_FLOAT:
@@ -294,11 +297,11 @@ bool ReadObject(HSQUIRRELVM v,SQUserPointer up,SQREADFUNC read,SQObjectPtr &o)
 	switch(t){
 	case OT_STRING:{
 		SQInteger len;
-		_CHECK_IO(SafeRead(v,read,up,&len,sizeof(SQInteger)));
+		_CHECK_IO(SafeRead(v,read,up,&len,sizeof(len)));
 		_CHECK_IO(SafeRead(v,read,up,_ss(v)->GetScratchPad(len).data(),len));
 		o=SQString::Create(_ss(v),std::string_view(_ss(v)->GetScratchPad(-1).data(),len));
-				   }
 		break;
+	}
 	case OT_INTEGER:{
 		SQInteger i;
 		_CHECK_IO(SafeRead(v,read,up,&i,sizeof(SQInteger))); o = i; break;
diff --git a/src/3rdparty/squirrel/squirrel/sqobject.h b/src/3rdparty/squirrel/squirrel/sqobject.h
index 3b3c516067..c8d9d8df18 100644
--- a/src/3rdparty/squirrel/squirrel/sqobject.h
+++ b/src/3rdparty/squirrel/squirrel/sqobject.h
@@ -138,7 +138,7 @@ struct SQObjectPtr;
 #define _refcounted(obj) ((obj)._unVal.pRefCounted)
 #define _rawval(obj) ((obj)._unVal.raw)
 
-#define _stringval(obj) (obj)._unVal.pString->_val
+#define _stringval(obj) (obj)._unVal.pString->View()
 #define _userdataval(obj) (obj)._unVal.pUserData->_val
 
 #define tofloat(num) ((type(num)==OT_INTEGER)?(SQFloat)_integer(num):_float(num))
diff --git a/src/3rdparty/squirrel/squirrel/sqstate.cpp b/src/3rdparty/squirrel/squirrel/sqstate.cpp
index ea0c5d9256..92725ad027 100644
--- a/src/3rdparty/squirrel/squirrel/sqstate.cpp
+++ b/src/3rdparty/squirrel/squirrel/sqstate.cpp
@@ -553,8 +553,7 @@ SQString *SQStringTable::Add(std::string_view new_string)
 	auto slot = string_table_hash(new_string) & (_numofslots-1);
 	SQString *s;
 	for (s = _strings[slot]; s; s = s->_next){
-		if(static_cast<size_t>(s->_len) == len && (!memcmp(new_string.data(),s->_val,len)))
-			return s; //found
+		if(s->View() == new_string) return s; //found
 	}
 
 	SQString *t=(SQString *)SQ_MALLOC(len+sizeof(SQString));
@@ -608,7 +607,7 @@ void SQStringTable::Remove(SQString *bs)
 			else
 				_strings[h] = s->_next;
 			_slotused--;
-			SQInteger slen = s->_len;
+			size_t slen = s->View().size();
 			s->~SQString();
 			SQ_FREE(s,sizeof(SQString) + slen);
 			return;
diff --git a/src/3rdparty/squirrel/squirrel/sqstring.h b/src/3rdparty/squirrel/squirrel/sqstring.h
index 70b446532d..96563a8750 100644
--- a/src/3rdparty/squirrel/squirrel/sqstring.h
+++ b/src/3rdparty/squirrel/squirrel/sqstring.h
@@ -12,8 +12,12 @@ public:
 	void Release() override;
 	SQSharedState *_sharedstate;
 	SQString *_next; //chain for the string table
-	SQInteger _len;
 	std::size_t _hash;
+
+	std::string_view View() const { return std::string_view(this->_val, this->_len); }
+	std::span<char> Span() { return std::span<char>(this->_val, this->_len); }
+private:
+	SQInteger _len;
 	SQChar _val[1];
 };
 
diff --git a/src/3rdparty/squirrel/squirrel/sqvm.cpp b/src/3rdparty/squirrel/squirrel/sqvm.cpp
index 3bdd661efc..1637c359f3 100644
--- a/src/3rdparty/squirrel/squirrel/sqvm.cpp
+++ b/src/3rdparty/squirrel/squirrel/sqvm.cpp
@@ -197,7 +197,7 @@ bool SQVM::ObjCmp(const SQObjectPtr &o1,const SQObjectPtr &o2,SQInteger &result)
 		SQObjectPtr res;
 		switch(type(o1)){
 		case OT_STRING:
-			_RET_SUCCEED(strcmp(_stringval(o1),_stringval(o2)));
+			_RET_SUCCEED(_stringval(o1).compare(_stringval(o2)));
 		case OT_INTEGER:
 			/* FS#3954: wrong integer comparison */
 			_RET_SUCCEED((_integer(o1)<_integer(o2))?-1:(_integer(o1)==_integer(o2))?0:1);
@@ -1284,9 +1284,10 @@ bool SQVM::FallBackGet(const SQObjectPtr &self,const SQObjectPtr &key,SQObjectPt
 	case OT_STRING:
 		if(sq_isnumeric(key)){
 			SQInteger n=tointeger(key);
-			if(abs((int)n)<_string(self)->_len){
-				if(n<0)n=_string(self)->_len-n;
-				dest=SQInteger(_stringval(self)[n]);
+			std::string_view str = _stringval(self);
+			if(std::abs(n) < static_cast<SQInteger>(str.size())){
+				if(n<0)n=str.size()+n;
+				dest=SQInteger(str[n]);
 				return true;
 			}
 			return false;
diff --git a/src/safeguards.h b/src/safeguards.h
index 37a583e62f..f2aa0b37ad 100644
--- a/src/safeguards.h
+++ b/src/safeguards.h
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@
 #define vsprintf  SAFEGUARD_DO_NOT_USE_THIS_METHOD
 #define vsnprintf SAFEGUARD_DO_NOT_USE_THIS_METHOD
 
+#define strcmp SAFEGUARD_DO_NOT_USE_THIS_METHOD
 #define strncmp SAFEGUARD_DO_NOT_USE_THIS_METHOD
 #ifdef strcasecmp
 #undef strcasecmp