security-bugs.rst 3.4 KB

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  1. .. _securitybugs:
  2. Security bugs
  3. =============
  4. Linux kernel developers take security very seriously. As such, we'd
  5. like to know when a security bug is found so that it can be fixed and
  6. disclosed as quickly as possible. Please report security bugs to the
  7. Linux kernel security team.
  8. Contact
  9. -------
  10. The Linux kernel security team can be contacted by email at
  11. <security@kernel.org>. This is a private list of security officers
  12. who will help verify the bug report and develop and release a fix.
  13. If you already have a fix, please include it with your report, as
  14. that can speed up the process considerably. It is possible that the
  15. security team will bring in extra help from area maintainers to
  16. understand and fix the security vulnerability.
  17. As it is with any bug, the more information provided the easier it
  18. will be to diagnose and fix. Please review the procedure outlined in
  19. admin-guide/reporting-bugs.rst if you are unclear about what
  20. information is helpful. Any exploit code is very helpful and will not
  21. be released without consent from the reporter unless it has already been
  22. made public.
  23. Disclosure
  24. ----------
  25. The goal of the Linux kernel security team is to work with the bug
  26. submitter to understand and fix the bug. We prefer to publish the fix as
  27. soon as possible, but try to avoid public discussion of the bug itself
  28. and leave that to others.
  29. Publishing the fix may be delayed when the bug or the fix is not yet
  30. fully understood, the solution is not well-tested or for vendor
  31. coordination. However, we expect these delays to be short, measurable in
  32. days, not weeks or months. A release date is negotiated by the security
  33. team working with the bug submitter as well as vendors. However, the
  34. kernel security team holds the final say when setting a timeframe. The
  35. timeframe varies from immediate (esp. if it's already publicly known bug)
  36. to a few weeks. As a basic default policy, we expect report date to
  37. release date to be on the order of 7 days.
  38. Coordination
  39. ------------
  40. Fixes for sensitive bugs, such as those that might lead to privilege
  41. escalations, may need to be coordinated with the private
  42. <linux-distros@vs.openwall.org> mailing list so that distribution vendors
  43. are well prepared to issue a fixed kernel upon public disclosure of the
  44. upstream fix. Distros will need some time to test the proposed patch and
  45. will generally request at least a few days of embargo, and vendor update
  46. publication prefers to happen Tuesday through Thursday. When appropriate,
  47. the security team can assist with this coordination, or the reporter can
  48. include linux-distros from the start. In this case, remember to prefix
  49. the email Subject line with "[vs]" as described in the linux-distros wiki:
  50. <http://oss-security.openwall.org/wiki/mailing-lists/distros#how-to-use-the-lists>
  51. CVE assignment
  52. --------------
  53. The security team does not normally assign CVEs, nor do we require them
  54. for reports or fixes, as this can needlessly complicate the process and
  55. may delay the bug handling. If a reporter wishes to have a CVE identifier
  56. assigned ahead of public disclosure, they will need to contact the private
  57. linux-distros list, described above. When such a CVE identifier is known
  58. before a patch is provided, it is desirable to mention it in the commit
  59. message, though.
  60. Non-disclosure agreements
  61. -------------------------
  62. The Linux kernel security team is not a formal body and therefore unable
  63. to enter any non-disclosure agreements.