Bug#512620: update section on handling security issues
Package: developers-reference
Severity: wishlist
Tags: patch
Hi,
Please find attached a patch to update the section on handling security
issues. I tried to bring some things more up to date, added a section on
the tracker, and added emphasis on the checks needed before you upload a
package.
I'm available for any comments or suggestions you have to improve it further.
thanks,
Thijs
Index: pkgs.dbk
===================================================================
--- pkgs.dbk (revision 5767)
+++ pkgs.dbk (working copy)
@@ -828,15 +828,13 @@
fixing them themselves, sending security advisories, and maintaining
<literal>security.debian.org</literal>.
</para>
-<!-- information about the security database goes here once it's ready -->
-<!-- (mdz) -->
<para>
When you become aware of a security-related bug in a Debian package, whether or
not you are the maintainer, collect pertinent information about the problem,
and promptly contact the security team at
&email-security-team; as soon as possible. <emphasis
-role="strong">DO NOT UPLOAD</emphasis> any packages for <literal>stable</literal>;
- the security team will do that. Useful information includes, for example:
+role="strong">DO NOT UPLOAD</emphasis> any packages for <literal>stable</literal>
+without contacting the team. Useful information includes, for example:
</para>
<itemizedlist>
<listitem>
@@ -871,6 +869,28 @@
</para>
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>
+<para>As the maintainer of the package, you have the responsibility to
+maintain it, even in the stable release. You are in the best position
+to evaluate patches and test updated packages, so please see the sections
+below on how to prepare packages for the Security Team to handle.</para>
+
+<section id="bug-security-tracker">
+<title>The Security Tracker</title>
+<para>
+The security team maintains a central database, the
+<url id="http://security-tracker.debian.net/"; name="Debian Security Tracker">.
+This contains all public information that is known about security issues:
+which packages and versions are affected or fixed, and thus whether stable,
+testing and/or unstable are vulnerable. Information that is still confidential
+is not added to the tracker.
+</para>
+<para>
+You can search it for a specific issue, but also on package name. Look
+for your package to see which issues are still open. If you can, please provide
+more information about those issues, or help to address them in your package.
+Instructions are on the tracker web pages.
+</para>
+
<section id="bug-security-confidentiality">
<title>Confidentiality</title>
<para>
@@ -940,6 +960,10 @@
requested: the problem has been known for a while, or the problem or exploit
has become public.
</para>
+<para>
+The Security Team has a PGP-key to enable encrypted communication about
+sensitive issues. See the <url id="http://www.debian.org/security/faq.en.html#contact";
+name="Security Team FAQ"> for details.
</section>
<section id="bug-security-advisories">
@@ -1076,7 +1100,8 @@
<itemizedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
-Target the right distribution in your <filename>debian/changelog</filename>.
+<emphasis role="strong">Target the right distribution</emphasis>
+in your <filename>debian/changelog</filename>.
For <literal>stable</literal> this is <literal>stable-security</literal> and
for testing this is <literal>testing-security</literal>, and for the previous
stable release, this is <literal>oldstable-security</literal>. Do not target
@@ -1086,67 +1111,58 @@
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
-The upload should have urgency=high.
+The upload should have <emphasis role="strong">urgency=high</emphasis>.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Make descriptive, meaningful changelog entries. Others will rely on them to
-determine whether a particular bug was fixed. Always include an external
-reference, preferably a CVE identifier, so that it can be cross-referenced.
-Include the same information in the changelog for <literal>unstable</literal>,
-so that it is clear
-that the same bug was fixed, as this is very helpful when verifying that the
-bug is fixed in the next stable release. If a CVE identifier has not yet been
-assigned, the security team will request one so that it can be included in the
-package and in the advisory.
+determine whether a particular bug was fixed. Add <literal>closes:</literal>
+statements for any <emphasis role="strong">Debian bugs</emphasis> filed.
+Always include an external reference, preferably a <emphasis role="strong">CVE
+identifier</emphasis>, so that it can be cross-referenced. However, if a CVE
+identifier has not yet been assigned, do not wait for it but continue the
+process. The identifier can be cross-referenced later.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
-Make sure the version number is proper. It must be greater than the current
-package, but less than package versions in later distributions. If in doubt,
-test it with <literal>dpkg --compare-versions</literal>. Be careful not to
-re-use a version number that you have already used for a previous upload. For
-<literal>testing</literal>, there must be a higher version in
-<literal>unstable</literal>. If there is none yet (for example, if
-<literal>testing</literal> and <literal>unstable</literal> have the same
-version) you must upload a new version to <literal>unstable</literal> first.
+Make sure the <emphasis role="strong">version number</emphasis> is proper.
+It must be greater than the current package, but less than package versions in
+later distributions. If in doubt, test it with <literal>dpkg
+--compare-versions</literal>. Be careful not to re-use a version number that
+you have already used for a previous upload, or one that conflicts with a
+binNMU. The convention is to append
+<literal>+</literal><replaceable>codename</replaceable><literal>1</literal>, e.g.
+<literal>1:2.4.3-4+etch1</literal>, of course increasing 1 for any subsequent
+uploads.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
-Do not make source-only uploads if your package has any binary-all packages (do
-not use the <literal>-S</literal> option to
-<command>dpkg-buildpackage</command>). The <command>buildd</command>
-infrastructure will not build those. This point applies to normal package
-uploads as well.
-</para>
-</listitem>
-<listitem>
-<para>
Unless the upstream source has been uploaded to <literal>security.debian.org
-</literal> before (by a previous security update), build the upload with full
-upstream source (<literal>dpkg-buildpackage -sa</literal>). If there has been
-a previous upload to <literal>security.debian.org</literal> with the same
-upstream version, you may upload without upstream source (<literal>
-dpkg-buildpackage -sd</literal>).
+</literal> before (by a previous security update), build the upload <emphasis
+role="strong">with full upstream source</emphasis> (<literal>dpkg-buildpackage
+-sa</literal>). If there has been a previous upload to
+<literal>security.debian.org</literal> with the same upstream version, you may
+upload without upstream source (<literal> dpkg-buildpackage -sd</literal>).
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
-Be sure to use the exact same <filename>*.orig.tar.gz</filename> as used in the
+Be sure to use the <emphasis role="strong">exact same
+<filename>*.orig.tar.gz</filename></emphasis> as used in the
normal archive, otherwise it is not possible to move the security fix into the
main archives later.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
-Build the package on a clean system which only has packages installed from the
-distribution you are building for. If you do not have such a system yourself,
-you can use a debian.org machine (see <xref linkend="server-machines"/> ) or
-setup a chroot (see <xref linkend="pbuilder"/> and <xref
-linkend="debootstrap"/> ).
+Build the package on a <emphasis role="strong">clean system</emphasis> which only
+has packages installed from the distribution you are building for. If you do not
+have such a system yourself, you can use a debian.org machine (see
+<xref linkend="server-machines"/> ) or setup a chroot (see
+<xref linkend="pbuilder"/> and <xref linkend="debootstrap"/> ).
</para>
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>
@@ -1179,7 +1195,7 @@
</para>
<para>
Once an upload to the security queue has been accepted, the package will
-automatically be rebuilt for all architectures and stored for verification by
+automatically be built for all architectures and stored for verification by
the security team.
</para>
<para>
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