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ReStructuredText
110 lines
5.0 KiB
ReStructuredText
.. _securitybugs:
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Security bugs
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=============
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Linux kernel developers take security very seriously. As such, we'd
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like to know when a security bug is found so that it can be fixed and
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disclosed as quickly as possible. Please report security bugs to the
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Linux kernel security team.
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Contact
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-------
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The Linux kernel security team can be contacted by email at
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<security@kernel.org>. This is a private list of security officers
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who will help verify the bug report and develop and release a fix.
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If you already have a fix, please include it with your report, as
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that can speed up the process considerably. It is possible that the
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security team will bring in extra help from area maintainers to
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understand and fix the security vulnerability.
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As it is with any bug, the more information provided the easier it
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will be to diagnose and fix. Please review the procedure outlined in
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'Documentation/admin-guide/reporting-issues.rst' if you are unclear about what
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information is helpful. Any exploit code is very helpful and will not
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be released without consent from the reporter unless it has already been
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made public.
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Please send plain text emails without attachments where possible.
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It is much harder to have a context-quoted discussion about a complex
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issue if all the details are hidden away in attachments. Think of it like a
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:doc:`regular patch submission <../process/submitting-patches>`
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(even if you don't have a patch yet): describe the problem and impact, list
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reproduction steps, and follow it with a proposed fix, all in plain text.
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Disclosure and embargoed information
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------------------------------------
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The security list is not a disclosure channel. For that, see Coordination
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below.
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Once a robust fix has been developed, the release process starts. Fixes
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for publicly known bugs are released immediately.
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Although our preference is to release fixes for publicly undisclosed bugs
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as soon as they become available, this may be postponed at the request of
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the reporter or an affected party for up to 7 calendar days from the start
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of the release process, with an exceptional extension to 14 calendar days
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if it is agreed that the criticality of the bug requires more time. The
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only valid reason for deferring the publication of a fix is to accommodate
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the logistics of QA and large scale rollouts which require release
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coordination.
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While embargoed information may be shared with trusted individuals in
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order to develop a fix, such information will not be published alongside
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the fix or on any other disclosure channel without the permission of the
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reporter. This includes but is not limited to the original bug report
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and followup discussions (if any), exploits, CVE information or the
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identity of the reporter.
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In other words our only interest is in getting bugs fixed. All other
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information submitted to the security list and any followup discussions
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of the report are treated confidentially even after the embargo has been
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lifted, in perpetuity.
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Coordination with other groups
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------------------------------
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While the kernel security team solely focuses on getting bugs fixed,
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other groups focus on fixing issues in distros and coordinating
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disclosure between operating system vendors. Coordination is usually
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handled by the "linux-distros" mailing list and disclosure by the
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public "oss-security" mailing list, both of which are closely related
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and presented in the linux-distros wiki:
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<https://oss-security.openwall.org/wiki/mailing-lists/distros>
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Please note that the respective policies and rules are different since
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the 3 lists pursue different goals. Coordinating between the kernel
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security team and other teams is difficult since for the kernel security
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team occasional embargoes (as subject to a maximum allowed number of
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days) start from the availability of a fix, while for "linux-distros"
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they start from the initial post to the list regardless of the
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availability of a fix.
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As such, the kernel security team strongly recommends that as a reporter
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of a potential security issue you DO NOT contact the "linux-distros"
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mailing list UNTIL a fix is accepted by the affected code's maintainers
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and you have read the distros wiki page above and you fully understand
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the requirements that contacting "linux-distros" will impose on you and
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the kernel community. This also means that in general it doesn't make
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sense to Cc: both lists at once, except maybe for coordination if and
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while an accepted fix has not yet been merged. In other words, until a
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fix is accepted do not Cc: "linux-distros", and after it's merged do not
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Cc: the kernel security team.
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CVE assignment
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--------------
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The security team does not assign CVEs, nor do we require them for
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reports or fixes, as this can needlessly complicate the process and may
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delay the bug handling. If a reporter wishes to have a CVE identifier
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assigned for a confirmed issue, they can contact the :doc:`kernel CVE
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assignment team<../process/cve>` to obtain one.
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Non-disclosure agreements
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-------------------------
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The Linux kernel security team is not a formal body and therefore unable
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to enter any non-disclosure agreements.
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