From d49172bbd7eb07e4ba5e52238eaa9caf692c1cea Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Willy Tarreau Date: Thu, 14 Aug 2025 21:27:29 +0200 Subject: Documentation: clarify the expected collaboration with security bugs reporters Some bug reports sent to the security team sometimes lack any explanation, are only AI-generated without verification, or sometimes it can simply be difficult to have a conversation with an invisible reporter belonging to an opaque team. This fortunately remains rare but the trend has been steadily increasing over the last years and it seems important to clarify what developers expect from reporters to avoid frustration on any side and keep the process efficient. Signed-off-by: Willy Tarreau Reviewed-by: Kees Cook Link: https://lore.kernel.org/r/20250814192730.19252-1-w@1wt.eu Signed-off-by: Greg Kroah-Hartman --- Documentation/process/security-bugs.rst | 10 ++++++++++ 1 file changed, 10 insertions(+) (limited to 'Documentation/process') diff --git a/Documentation/process/security-bugs.rst b/Documentation/process/security-bugs.rst index 56c560a00b37..7dcc034d3df8 100644 --- a/Documentation/process/security-bugs.rst +++ b/Documentation/process/security-bugs.rst @@ -19,6 +19,16 @@ that can speed up the process considerably. It is possible that the security team will bring in extra help from area maintainers to understand and fix the security vulnerability. +The security team and maintainers almost always require additional +information beyond what was initially provided in a report and rely on +active and efficient collaboration with the reporter to perform further +testing (e.g., verifying versions, configuration options, mitigations, or +patches). Before contacting the security team, the reporter must ensure +they are available to explain their findings, engage in discussions, and +run additional tests. Reports where the reporter does not respond promptly +or cannot effectively discuss their findings may be abandoned if the +communication does not quickly improve. + As it is with any bug, the more information provided the easier it will be to diagnose and fix. Please review the procedure outlined in 'Documentation/admin-guide/reporting-issues.rst' if you are unclear about what -- cgit v1.2.3 From 3a68841d1d9b6eb32b2652bbb83acd17d5eb9135 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Willy Tarreau Date: Thu, 14 Aug 2025 21:27:30 +0200 Subject: Documentation: smooth the text flow in the security bug reporting process The text was presenting the team, the the e-mail address, then some of the expectations, then what form of e-mail is expected. By switching the e-mail paragraph two paragraphs later and dropping the "Contact" sub-section, we can have a more natural flow that presents the team, then its expectation, then how to best contribute, then where to send. And more importantly, it increases the chances that reporters have read the prerequisites before finding the e-mail address. Signed-off-by: Willy Tarreau Reviewed-by: Kees Cook Link: https://lore.kernel.org/r/20250814192730.19252-2-w@1wt.eu Signed-off-by: Greg Kroah-Hartman --- Documentation/process/security-bugs.rst | 19 ++++++++----------- 1 file changed, 8 insertions(+), 11 deletions(-) (limited to 'Documentation/process') diff --git a/Documentation/process/security-bugs.rst b/Documentation/process/security-bugs.rst index 7dcc034d3df8..84657e7d2e5b 100644 --- a/Documentation/process/security-bugs.rst +++ b/Documentation/process/security-bugs.rst @@ -8,17 +8,6 @@ like to know when a security bug is found so that it can be fixed and disclosed as quickly as possible. Please report security bugs to the Linux kernel security team. -Contact -------- - -The Linux kernel security team can be contacted by email at -. This is a private list of security officers -who will help verify the bug report and develop and release a fix. -If you already have a fix, please include it with your report, as -that can speed up the process considerably. It is possible that the -security team will bring in extra help from area maintainers to -understand and fix the security vulnerability. - The security team and maintainers almost always require additional information beyond what was initially provided in a report and rely on active and efficient collaboration with the reporter to perform further @@ -36,6 +25,14 @@ information is helpful. Any exploit code is very helpful and will not be released without consent from the reporter unless it has already been made public. +The Linux kernel security team can be contacted by email at +. This is a private list of security officers +who will help verify the bug report and develop and release a fix. +If you already have a fix, please include it with your report, as +that can speed up the process considerably. It is possible that the +security team will bring in extra help from area maintainers to +understand and fix the security vulnerability. + Please send plain text emails without attachments where possible. It is much harder to have a context-quoted discussion about a complex issue if all the details are hidden away in attachments. Think of it like a -- cgit v1.2.3