linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH] Documentation/security-bugs: Explain why plain text is preferred

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Date:   Fri, 10 Jul 2020 12:36:48 +0200
From:   Peter Zijlstra <peterz@...radead.org>
To:     Kees Cook <keescook@...omium.org>
Cc:     Jonathan Corbet <corbet@....net>,
        Greg Kroah-Hartman <gregkh@...uxfoundation.org>,
        security@...nel.org, linux-doc@...r.kernel.org,
        linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org
Subject: Re: [PATCH] Documentation/security-bugs: Explain why plain text is
 preferred

On Thu, Jul 09, 2020 at 11:11:30AM -0700, Kees Cook wrote:
> The security contact list gets regular reports contained in archive
> attachments. This tends to add some back-and-forth delay in dealing with
> security reports since we have to ask for plain text, etc.
> 
> Signed-off-by: Kees Cook <keescook@...omium.org>
> ---
>  Documentation/admin-guide/security-bugs.rst | 9 ++++++++-
>  1 file changed, 8 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)
> 
> diff --git a/Documentation/admin-guide/security-bugs.rst b/Documentation/admin-guide/security-bugs.rst
> index dcd6c93c7aac..c32eb786201c 100644
> --- a/Documentation/admin-guide/security-bugs.rst
> +++ b/Documentation/admin-guide/security-bugs.rst
> @@ -21,11 +21,18 @@ 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
> +:doc:`reporting-bugs` if you are unclear about what

I can do 'gf' on Documentation/admin-guide/reporting-bugs.rst, I can do
didly squat with crap like :doc:'reporting-bugs'.

NAK

>  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.
>  
> +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
> +:doc:`regular patch submission <../process/submitting-patches>`

More unusable references.

> +(even if you don't have a patch yet): describe the problem and impact, list
> +reproduction steps, and follow it with a proposed fix, all in plain text.
> +

You forgot to mention that opening complex file formats is a security
risk all of its own.