On Categorizing Open Source Software Security Vulnerability Reporting Mechanisms on GitHub
Fuente:
arXiv
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| Autori principali: | , , , , , , , |
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| Natura: | Preprint |
| Pubblicazione: |
2025
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| Soggetti: | |
| Accesso online: | |
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| _version_ | 1866916609804730368 |
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| author | Kancharoendee, Sushawapak Phichitphanphong, Thanat Jongyingyos, Chanikarn Reid, Brittany Kula, Raula Gaikovina Choetkiertikul, Morakot Ragkhitwetsagul, Chaiyong Sunetnanta, Thanwadee |
| author_facet | Kancharoendee, Sushawapak Phichitphanphong, Thanat Jongyingyos, Chanikarn Reid, Brittany Kula, Raula Gaikovina Choetkiertikul, Morakot Ragkhitwetsagul, Chaiyong Sunetnanta, Thanwadee |
| contents | Open-source projects are essential to software development, but publicly disclosing vulnerabilities without fixes increases the risk of exploitation. The Open Source Security Foundation (OpenSSF) addresses this issue by promoting robust security policies to enhance project security. Current research reveals that many projects perform poorly on OpenSSF criteria, indicating a need for stronger security practices and underscoring the value of SECURITY$.$md files for structured vulnerability reporting. This study aims to provide recommendations for improving security policies. By examining 679 open-source projects, we find that email is still the main source of reporting. Furthermore, we find that projects without SECURITY$.$md files tend to be less secure (lower OpenSSF scores). Our analysis also indicates that, although many maintainers encourage private reporting methods, some contributors continue to disclose vulnerabilities publicly, bypassing established protocols. The results from this preliminary study pave the way for understanding how developers react and communicate a potential security threat. Future challenges include understanding the impact and effectiveness of these mechanisms and what factors may influence how the security threat is addressed. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2502_07395 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | On Categorizing Open Source Software Security Vulnerability Reporting Mechanisms on GitHub Kancharoendee, Sushawapak Phichitphanphong, Thanat Jongyingyos, Chanikarn Reid, Brittany Kula, Raula Gaikovina Choetkiertikul, Morakot Ragkhitwetsagul, Chaiyong Sunetnanta, Thanwadee Software Engineering Open-source projects are essential to software development, but publicly disclosing vulnerabilities without fixes increases the risk of exploitation. The Open Source Security Foundation (OpenSSF) addresses this issue by promoting robust security policies to enhance project security. Current research reveals that many projects perform poorly on OpenSSF criteria, indicating a need for stronger security practices and underscoring the value of SECURITY$.$md files for structured vulnerability reporting. This study aims to provide recommendations for improving security policies. By examining 679 open-source projects, we find that email is still the main source of reporting. Furthermore, we find that projects without SECURITY$.$md files tend to be less secure (lower OpenSSF scores). Our analysis also indicates that, although many maintainers encourage private reporting methods, some contributors continue to disclose vulnerabilities publicly, bypassing established protocols. The results from this preliminary study pave the way for understanding how developers react and communicate a potential security threat. Future challenges include understanding the impact and effectiveness of these mechanisms and what factors may influence how the security threat is addressed. |
| title | On Categorizing Open Source Software Security Vulnerability Reporting Mechanisms on GitHub |
| topic | Software Engineering |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2502.07395 |