.. _securitybugs:

Security bugs
=============

Linux kernel developers take security very seriously.  As such, we'd
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
<security@kernel.org>.  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.

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
admin-guide/reporting-bugs.rst if you are unclear about what
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.

Disclosure
----------

The goal of the Linux kernel security team is to work with the bug
submitter to understand and fix the bug.  We prefer to publish the fix as
soon as possible, but try to avoid public discussion of the bug itself
and leave that to others.

Publishing the fix may be delayed when the bug or the fix is not yet
fully understood, the solution is not well-tested or for vendor
coordination.  However, we expect these delays to be short, measurable in
days, not weeks or months.  A release date is negotiated by the security
team working with the bug submitter as well as vendors.  However, the
kernel security team holds the final say when setting a timeframe.  The
timeframe varies from immediate (esp. if it's already publicly known bug)
to a few weeks.  As a basic default policy, we expect report date to
release date to be on the order of 7 days.

Coordination
------------

Fixes for sensitive bugs, such as those that might lead to privilege
escalations, may need to be coordinated with the private
<linux-distros@vs.openwall.org> mailing list so that distribution vendors
are well prepared to issue a fixed kernel upon public disclosure of the
upstream fix. Distros will need some time to test the proposed patch and
will generally request at least a few days of embargo, and vendor update
publication prefers to happen Tuesday through Thursday. When appropriate,
the security team can assist with this coordination, or the reporter can
include linux-distros from the start. In this case, remember to prefix
the email Subject line with "[vs]" as described in the linux-distros wiki:
<http://oss-security.openwall.org/wiki/mailing-lists/distros#how-to-use-the-lists>

CVE assignment
--------------

The security team does not normally assign CVEs, nor do we require them
for reports or fixes, as this can needlessly complicate the process and
may delay the bug handling. If a reporter wishes to have a CVE identifier
assigned ahead of public disclosure, they will need to contact the private
linux-distros list, described above. When such a CVE identifier is known
before a patch is provided, it is desirable to mention it in the commit
message, though.

Non-disclosure agreements
-------------------------

The Linux kernel security team is not a formal body and therefore unable
to enter any non-disclosure agreements.
