full-disclosure - Re: How much time is appropriate for fixing a bug?

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Date: Fri, 6 Jul 2012 16:46:42 +0000
From: "Thor (Hammer of God)" <thor@...merofgod.com>
To: Gary Baribault <gary@...ibault.net>, "full-disclosure@...ts.grok.org.uk"
	<full-disclosure@...ts.grok.org.uk>
Subject: Re: How much time is appropriate for fixing a bug?

Well, I have to say, at least he's being honest.  If the guy is chomping at the bit to release the info so he can get some attention, then let him.  That, of course, is what it is all about.   He's not releasing the info so that the community can be "safe" by "forcing" the vendor to fix it.  He's doing it so people can see how smart he is and that he found some bug.   So Joro's reply of "fuck em" is actually refreshingly honest.

Regarding "how long does it take," it is completely impossible to tell.  If someone fixed it in 10 minutes, good for them.  It could take someone else 10 months.   Any time I see things like Wikipedia advising things like "5 months" I have to lol.  They have no freaking idea whatsoever as to the company's dev processes and the extend that the fix could impact legacy code or any number of other factors.   I would actually have expected code bug-finders to have a better clue about these things, but apparently they don't.

MSFT's process is nuts – they have SO many dependancies, so many different products with shared code, so many legacy products, so many vendors with drivers and all manner of other stuff that the process is actually quite difficult and time consuming.  Oracle is worse – they have the same but multiplied by x platforms.  Apple I think has it the "easiest" of the big ones, but even OSX is massively complex (and completely awesome).

It is all about intent:  if you want to be recognized publicly for some fame or whatever, just FD it because chances are you will anyway.   If you really care about the security of the industry, then submit it and be done with it.  If and when they fix it is up to them.

t

From: Gary Baribault <gary@...ibault.net<mailto:gary@...ibault.net>>
Date: Friday, July 6, 2012 7:59 AM
To: "full-disclosure@...ts.grok.org.uk<mailto:full-disclosure@...ts.grok.org.uk>" <full-disclosure@...ts.grok.org.uk<mailto:full-disclosure@...ts.grok.org.uk>>
Subject: Re: [Full-disclosure] How much time is appropriate for fixing a bug?

Hey Georgi,

    Didn't take your happy pill this morning?

    I would say that the answer depends on how the owner/company answers you, if you feel that their stringing you along and you have given them some time, then warn them that your publishing, give them 24 hours and then go for it. Obviously it depends on the bug and the software, I major bug in a large program will take longer, and so long as they are talking to you, and you don't miss your morning happy pill, you can wait, a small bug in a small program shouldn't take as long. There is no one answer to your question, if you are having an interactive discussion with them, then be patient, otherwise, Georgi's answer is a good one if they are ignoring you or stringing you along.

Gary B

On 07/06/2012 10:33 AM, Georgi Guninski wrote:
> On Wed, Jul 04, 2012 at 10:49:18PM +0200, Jann Horn wrote:
>> After having reported a security-relevant bug about a smartphone, how long would
>> you wait for the vendor to fix it? What are typical times?
>>
>> I remember telling someone about a security-relevant bug in his library some time
>> ago - he fixed it and published the fixed version within ten minutes. On the
>> other hand, I often see mails on bugtraq or so in which the given dates show that
>> the vendor took maybe a year or so to fix the issue...
>
>
>
>
> when i was young i asked a similar question.
>
> if you ask me now, the short answer is "fuck them, if you are
> killing a bug the time is completely up to you."
> responsible disclosure is just a buzzword (the RFC on
> it failed).
>
> you have bugs, they don't have.
>

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