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1.. _securitybugs:2 3Security bugs4=============5 6Linux kernel developers take security very seriously. As such, we'd7like to know when a security bug is found so that it can be fixed and8disclosed as quickly as possible. Please report security bugs to the9Linux kernel security team.10 11Contact12-------13 14The Linux kernel security team can be contacted by email at15<security@kernel.org>. This is a private list of security officers16who will help verify the bug report and develop and release a fix.17If you already have a fix, please include it with your report, as18that can speed up the process considerably. It is possible that the19security team will bring in extra help from area maintainers to20understand and fix the security vulnerability.21 22As it is with any bug, the more information provided the easier it23will be to diagnose and fix. Please review the procedure outlined in24'Documentation/admin-guide/reporting-issues.rst' if you are unclear about what25information is helpful. Any exploit code is very helpful and will not26be released without consent from the reporter unless it has already been27made public.28 29Please send plain text emails without attachments where possible.30It is much harder to have a context-quoted discussion about a complex31issue if all the details are hidden away in attachments. Think of it like a32:doc:`regular patch submission <../process/submitting-patches>`33(even if you don't have a patch yet): describe the problem and impact, list34reproduction steps, and follow it with a proposed fix, all in plain text.35 36Disclosure and embargoed information37------------------------------------38 39The security list is not a disclosure channel. For that, see Coordination40below.41 42Once a robust fix has been developed, the release process starts. Fixes43for publicly known bugs are released immediately.44 45Although our preference is to release fixes for publicly undisclosed bugs46as soon as they become available, this may be postponed at the request of47the reporter or an affected party for up to 7 calendar days from the start48of the release process, with an exceptional extension to 14 calendar days49if it is agreed that the criticality of the bug requires more time. The50only valid reason for deferring the publication of a fix is to accommodate51the logistics of QA and large scale rollouts which require release52coordination.53 54While embargoed information may be shared with trusted individuals in55order to develop a fix, such information will not be published alongside56the fix or on any other disclosure channel without the permission of the57reporter. This includes but is not limited to the original bug report58and followup discussions (if any), exploits, CVE information or the59identity of the reporter.60 61In other words our only interest is in getting bugs fixed. All other62information submitted to the security list and any followup discussions63of the report are treated confidentially even after the embargo has been64lifted, in perpetuity.65 66Coordination with other groups67------------------------------68 69While the kernel security team solely focuses on getting bugs fixed,70other groups focus on fixing issues in distros and coordinating71disclosure between operating system vendors. Coordination is usually72handled by the "linux-distros" mailing list and disclosure by the73public "oss-security" mailing list, both of which are closely related74and presented in the linux-distros wiki:75<https://oss-security.openwall.org/wiki/mailing-lists/distros>76 77Please note that the respective policies and rules are different since78the 3 lists pursue different goals. Coordinating between the kernel79security team and other teams is difficult since for the kernel security80team occasional embargoes (as subject to a maximum allowed number of81days) start from the availability of a fix, while for "linux-distros"82they start from the initial post to the list regardless of the83availability of a fix.84 85As such, the kernel security team strongly recommends that as a reporter86of a potential security issue you DO NOT contact the "linux-distros"87mailing list UNTIL a fix is accepted by the affected code's maintainers88and you have read the distros wiki page above and you fully understand89the requirements that contacting "linux-distros" will impose on you and90the kernel community. This also means that in general it doesn't make91sense to Cc: both lists at once, except maybe for coordination if and92while an accepted fix has not yet been merged. In other words, until a93fix is accepted do not Cc: "linux-distros", and after it's merged do not94Cc: the kernel security team.95 96CVE assignment97--------------98 99The security team does not assign CVEs, nor do we require them for100reports or fixes, as this can needlessly complicate the process and may101delay the bug handling. If a reporter wishes to have a CVE identifier102assigned for a confirmed issue, they can contact the :doc:`kernel CVE103assignment team<../process/cve>` to obtain one.104 105Non-disclosure agreements106-------------------------107 108The Linux kernel security team is not a formal body and therefore unable109to enter any non-disclosure agreements.110