diff --git a/draft-foudil-securitytxt.html b/draft-foudil-securitytxt.html index 4de3249..aa0d2c5 100644 --- a/draft-foudil-securitytxt.html +++ b/draft-foudil-securitytxt.html @@ -296,16 +296,16 @@ - - - + + + + - - + @@ -317,7 +317,7 @@ - + @@ -341,9 +341,9 @@ - - - + + + @@ -365,12 +365,12 @@ Y. Shafranovich -Expires: May 22, 2020 +Expires: July 23, 2020 Nightwatch Cybersecurity -November 19, 2019 +January 20, 2020 @@ -381,14 +381,14 @@ draft-foudil-securitytxt-09

Abstract

-

When security vulnerabilities are discovered by independent security researchers, they often lack the channels to report them properly. As a result, security vulnerabilities may be left unreported. This document defines a format (“security.txt”) to help organizations describe the process for security researchers to follow in order to report security vulnerabilities.

+

When security vulnerabilities are discovered by independent security researchers, they often lack the channels to report them properly. As a result, security vulnerabilities may be left unreported. This document defines a format (“security.txt”) to help organizations describe their vulnerability disclosure practices to make it easier for researchers to report security vulnerabilities.

Status of This Memo

This Internet-Draft is submitted in full conformance with the provisions of BCP 78 and BCP 79.

Internet-Drafts are working documents of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). Note that other groups may also distribute working documents as Internet-Drafts. The list of current Internet-Drafts is at https://datatracker.ietf.org/drafts/current/.

Internet-Drafts are draft documents valid for a maximum of six months and may be updated, replaced, or obsoleted by other documents at any time. It is inappropriate to use Internet-Drafts as reference material or to cite them other than as "work in progress."

-

This Internet-Draft will expire on May 22, 2020.

+

This Internet-Draft will expire on July 23, 2020.

Copyright Notice

-

Copyright (c) 2019 IETF Trust and the persons identified as the document authors. All rights reserved.

+

Copyright (c) 2020 IETF Trust and the persons identified as the document authors. All rights reserved.

This document is subject to BCP 78 and the IETF Trust's Legal Provisions Relating to IETF Documents (https://trustee.ietf.org/license-info) in effect on the date of publication of this document. Please review these documents carefully, as they describe your rights and restrictions with respect to this document. Code Components extracted from this document must include Simplified BSD License text as described in Section 4.e of the Trust Legal Provisions and are provided without warranty as described in the Simplified BSD License.

@@ -424,11 +424,13 @@

Table of Contents

  • 3.5.4. Encryption
  • -
  • 3.5.5. Hiring +
  • 3.5.5. Expires
  • -
  • 3.5.6. Policy +
  • 3.5.6. Hiring
  • -
  • 3.5.7. Preferred-Languages +
  • 3.5.7. Policy +
  • +
  • 3.5.8. Preferred-Languages
  • 3.6. Example of an unsigned “security.txt” file
  • @@ -440,9 +442,7 @@

    Table of Contents

  • 4.2. Filesystems
  • -
  • 4.3. Internal hosts -
  • -
  • 4.4. Extensibility +
  • 4.3. Extensibility
  • 5. File Format Description and ABNF Grammar
  • @@ -466,7 +466,7 @@

    Table of Contents

  • 8. Contributors
  • @@ -510,11 +510,10 @@

    1.1. Motivation, Prior Work and Scope

    -

    Many security researchers encounter situations where they are unable to report security vulnerabilities to organizations because there is no course of action laid out and no way indicated to contact the owner of a particular resource.

    -

    As per section 4 of [RFC2142], there is an existing convention of using the <SECURITY@domain> email address for communications regarding security vulnerabilities. That convention provides only a single, email-based channel of communication for security vulnerabilities per domain, and does not provide a way for domain owners to publish information about their security disclosure policies.

    -

    There are also contact conventions prescribed for Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in section 2 of [RFC3013], for Computer Security Incident Response Teams (CSIRTs) in section 3.2 of [RFC2350] and for site operators in section 5.2 of [RFC2196]. As per [RFC7485], there is also contact information provided by Regional Internet Registries (RIRs) and domain registries for owners of IP addresses, autonomous system numbers (ASNs) and domain names. However, none of these address the issue of how security researchers can locate disclosure policies and contact information for organizations in order to report security vulnerabilities.

    -

    In this document, we define a richer, machine-parsable and extensible way for organizations to communicate information about their security disclosure policies, which is not limited to email and also allows for additional features such as encryption. This format is designed to help assist with the security disclosure process by making it easier for organizations to designate the preferred steps for researchers to take when trying to reach out to them with security vulnerabilities.

    -

    Other details of vulnerability disclosure are outside the scope of this document. Readers are encouraged to consult other documents such as [ISO.29147.2018] or [CERT.CVD].

    +

    Many security researchers encounter situations where they are unable to report security vulnerabilities to organizations because there is no way indicated to contact the owner of a particular resource and no information available about the vulnerability disclosure practices of such owner.

    +

    As per section 4 of [RFC2142], there is an existing convention of using the <SECURITY@domain> email address for communications regarding security vulnerabilities. That convention provides only a single, email-based channel of communication for security vulnerabilities per domain, and does not provide a way for domain owners to publish information about their security disclosure practices.

    +

    There are also contact conventions prescribed for Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in section 2 of [RFC3013], for Computer Security Incident Response Teams (CSIRTs) in section 3.2 of [RFC2350] and for site operators in section 5.2 of [RFC2196]. As per [RFC7485], there is also contact information provided by Regional Internet Registries (RIRs) and domain registries for owners of IP addresses, autonomous system numbers (ASNs) and domain names. However, none of these address the issue of how security researchers can locate vulnerability disclosure practices and contact information for organizations in order to report security vulnerabilities.

    +

    In this document, we define a richer and more extensible way for organizations to communicate information about their security disclosure practices and ways to contact them. Other details of vulnerability disclosure are outside the scope of this document. Readers are encouraged to consult other documents such as [ISO.29147.2018] or [CERT.CVD].

    1.2. Terminology

    @@ -530,16 +529,19 @@

    3. The Specification

    -

    This document defines a text file to be placed in a known location that provides information for security researchers to assist in disclosing security vulnerabilities.

    -

    The file is named “security.txt”, and this file SHOULD be placed under the /.well-known/ path (“/.well-known/security.txt”) [RFC8615] of a domain name or IP address for web properties. For legacy compatibility, a security.txt file might be placed at the top level path (see Section 4.1).

    -

    For web-based services, the file MUST be accessible via the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) [RFC1945] as a resource of Internet Media Type “text/plain” with the default charset parameter set to “utf-8” per section 4.1.3 of [RFC2046], and it MUST be served with “https” (as per section 2.7.2 of [RFC7230]). For file systems and version control repositories a “security.txt” file SHOULD be placed in the root directory of a particular file system or source code project.

    -

    This text file contains multiple directives with different values. The “directive” is the first part of a field all the way up to the colon (“Contact:”) and follows the syntax defined for “field-name” in section 3.6.8 of [RFC5322]. Directives are case-insensitive (as per section 2.3 of [RFC5234]). The “value” comes after the directive (“https://example.com/security”) and follows the syntax defined for “unstructured” in section 3.2.5 of [RFC5322].

    -

    A “field” MUST always consist of a directive and a value (“Contact: https://example.com/security”). A security.txt file can have an unlimited number of fields. It is important to note that each field MUST appear on its own line. Unless specified otherwise by the field definition, multiple values MUST NOT be chained together for a single directive. Unless otherwise indicated in a definition of a particular field, any directive MAY appear multiple times.

    +

    This document defines a text file to be placed in a known location that provides information about the vulnerability disclosure practices of a particular organization. This is intended to help security researchers when disclosing security vulnerabilities.

    +

    By convention, the file is named “security.txt”.

    +

    When made available on HTTP servers, it MUST be placed under the /.well-known/ path (as “/.well-known/security.txt”) [RFC8615] of a domain name or IP address. For legacy compatibility, a security.txt file might be placed at the top level path (see Section 4.1). For file systems a “security.txt” file SHOULD be placed in the root directory of the file system.

    +

    On HTTP servers, the file MUST be accessed via HTTP 1.0 or a higher version and the “https” scheme (as per [RFC1945] and section 2.7.2 of [RFC7230]). It MUST have a Content-Type of “text/plain” with the default charset parameter set to “utf-8” (as per section 4.1.3 of [RFC2046]).

    +

    This text file contains multiple fields with different values. A field contains a “name” which is the first part of a field all the way up to the colon (“Contact:”) and follows the syntax defined for “field-name” in section 3.6.8 of [RFC5322]. Fields are case-insensitive (as per section 2.3 of [RFC5234]). The “value” comes after the field name (“https://example.com/security”) and follows the syntax defined for “unstructured” in section 3.2.5 of [RFC5322].

    +

    A “field” MUST always consist of a name and a value (“Contact: https://example.com/security”). A security.txt file can have an unlimited number of fields. It is important to note that each field MUST appear on its own line. Unless specified otherwise by the field definition, multiple values MUST NOT be chained together for a single field. Unless otherwise indicated in a definition of a particular field, any field MAY appear multiple times.

    +

    Implementors should be aware that some of the fields may contain URIs using percent-encoding (as per section 2.1 of [RFC3986]).

    3.1. Scope of the File

    -

    A “security.txt” file MUST only apply to the domain in the URI used to retrieve it, not to any of its subdomains or parent domains. A “security.txt” file that is found in a file system or version control repository MUST only apply to the folder or repository in which it is located, and not to any of its parent or sibling folders, or repositories. However, it will apply to all subfolders.

    -

    Some examples appear below:

    +

    For HTTP servers, a “security.txt” file MUST only apply to the domain or IP address in the URI used to retrieve it, not to any of its subdomains or parent domains.

    +

    A “security.txt” file that is found in a file system MUST only apply to the folder in which it is located and that folder’s subfolders. The file does not apply to any of the folder’s parent or sibling folders.

    +

    Some examples appear below:

     # The following only applies to example.com.
     https://example.com/.well-known/security.txt
    @@ -564,7 +566,6 @@ 

     # This is a comment.
     
    -

    One or more comments MAY be used as descriptive text immediately before the field. Parsers SHOULD associate the comments with the respective field. Only the line most immediately preceding a field SHOULD be associated with that field.

    3.3. Line Separator

    @@ -572,7 +573,7 @@

    3.4. Digital signature

    -

    It is RECOMMENDED that a security.txt file be digitally signed using an OpenPGP cleartext signature as described in section 7 of [RFC4880]. When digital signatures are used, it is also RECOMMENDED that implementors use the “Canonical” directive (as per Section 3.5.2), thus allowing the digital signature to authenticate the location of the file.

    +

    It is RECOMMENDED that a security.txt file be digitally signed using an OpenPGP cleartext signature as described in section 7 of [RFC4880]. When digital signatures are used, it is also RECOMMENDED that implementors use the “Canonical” field (as per Section 3.5.2), thus allowing the digital signature to authenticate the location of the file.

    When it comes to verifying the key used to generate the signature, it is always the security researcher’s responsibility to make sure the key being used is indeed one they trust.

    3.5. Field Definitions @@ -580,8 +581,8 @@

    3.5.1. Acknowledgments

    -

    This directive indicates a link to a page where security researchers are recognized for their reports. The page being referenced SHOULD list individuals or organizations that reported security vulnerabilities and collaborated to remediate them. Organizations SHOULD be careful to limit the vulnerability information being published in order to prevent future attacks.

    -

    If this directive indicates a web URL, then it MUST begin with “https://” (as per section 2.7.2 of [RFC7230]).

    +

    This field indicates a link to a page where security researchers are recognized for their reports. The page being referenced should list individuals or organizations that reported security vulnerabilities and collaborated to remediate them. Organizations should be careful to limit the vulnerability information being published in order to prevent future attacks.

    +

    If this field indicates a web URL, then it MUST begin with “https://” (as per section 2.7.2 of [RFC7230]).

    Example:

     Acknowledgments: https://example.com/hall-of-fame.html
    @@ -598,27 +599,28 @@ 

    3.5.2. Canonical

    -

    This directive indicates the canonical URI where the security.txt file is located, which is usually something like “https://example.com/.well-known/security.txt”. If this directive indicates a web URL, then it MUST begin with “https://” (as per section 2.7.2 of [RFC7230]). The purpose of this directive is to allow a digital signature to be applied to the location of the “security.txt” file.

    -

    This directive MUST NOT appear more than once.

    +

    This field indicates the canonical URIs where the security.txt file is located, which is usually something like “https://example.com/.well-known/security.txt”. If this field indicates a web URL, then it MUST begin with “https://” (as per section 2.7.2 of [RFC7230]). The purpose of this field is to allow a digital signature to be applied to the locations of the “security.txt” file.

    -Canonical: https://example.com/.well-known/security.txt
    +Canonical: https://www.example.com/.well-known/security.txt
    +Canonical: https://someserver.example.com/.well-known/security.txt
     

    3.5.3. Contact

    -

    This directive indicates an address that researchers should use for reporting security vulnerabilities. The value MAY be an email address, a phone number and/or a web page with contact information. The “Contact:” directive MUST always be present in a security.txt file. If this directive indicates a web URL, then it MUST begin with “https://” (as per section 2.7.2 of [RFC7230]). Security email addresses SHOULD use the conventions defined in section 4 of [RFC2142].

    -

    The value MUST follow the URI syntax described in [RFC3986]. This means that “mailto” and “tel” URI schemes MUST be used when specifying email addresses and telephone numbers, as defined in [RFC6068] and [RFC3966]. When the value of this directive is an email address, it is RECOMMENDED that encryption be used (as per Section 3.5.4).

    +

    This field indicates an address that researchers should use for reporting security vulnerabilities such as an email address, a phone number and/or a web page with contact information. The “Contact” field MUST always be present in a security.txt file. If this field indicates a web URL, then it MUST begin with “https://” (as per section 2.7.2 of [RFC7230]). Security email addresses should use the conventions defined in section 4 of [RFC2142].

    +

    The value MUST follow the URI syntax described in [RFC3986]. This means that “mailto” and “tel” URI schemes must be used when specifying email addresses and telephone numbers, as defined in [RFC6068] and [RFC3966]. When the value of this field is an email address, it is RECOMMENDED that encryption be used (as per Section 3.5.4).

    The precedence SHOULD be in listed order. The first field is the preferred method of contact. In the example below, the email address is the preferred method of contact.

     Contact: mailto:security@example.com
    +Contact: mailto:security%2Buri%2Bencoded@example.com
     Contact: tel:+1-201-555-0123
     Contact: https://example.com/security-contact.html
     

    3.5.4. Encryption

    -

    This directive indicates an encryption key that security researchers SHOULD use for encrypted communication. Keys MUST NOT appear in this field - instead the value of this field MUST be a URI pointing to a location where the key can be retrieved. If this directive indicates a web URL, then it MUST begin with “https://” (as per section 2.7.2 of [RFC7230]).

    -

    When it comes to verifying the authenticity of the key, it is always the security researcher’s responsibility to make sure the key being specified is indeed one they trust. Researchers MUST NOT assume that this key is used to generate the digital signature referenced in Section 3.4.

    +

    This field indicates an encryption key that security researchers should use for encrypted communication. Keys MUST NOT appear in this field - instead the value of this field MUST be a URI pointing to a location where the key can be retrieved. If this field indicates a web URL, then it MUST begin with “https://” (as per section 2.7.2 of [RFC7230]).

    +

    When it comes to verifying the authenticity of the key, it is always the security researcher’s responsibility to make sure the key being specified is indeed one they trust. Researchers must not assume that this key is used to generate the digital signature referenced in Section 3.4.

    Example of an OpenPGP key available from a web server:

     Encryption: https://example.com/pgp-key.txt
    @@ -632,27 +634,35 @@ 

    Encryption: openpgp4fpr:5f2de5521c63a801ab59ccb603d49de44b29100f

    -3.5.5. Hiring +3.5.5. Expires

    -

    The “Hiring” directive is used for linking to the vendor’s security-related job positions. If this directive indicates a web URL, then it MUST begin with “https://” (as per section 2.7.2 of [RFC7230]).

    +

    This field indicates the date/time after which the data contained in the “security.txt” file is considered stale and should not be used (as per Section 6.2). The value of this field follows the format defined in section 3.3 of [RFC5322].

    +

    This field MUST NOT appear more than once.

    -Hiring: https://example.com/jobs.html
    +Expires: Thu, 31 Dec 2020 18:37:07 -0800
     

    -3.5.6. Policy +3.5.6. Hiring

    -

    This directive indicates a link to where the security policy and/or disclosure policy is located. This can help security researchers understand what an organization is looking for and how to report security vulnerabilities. If this directive indicates a web URL, then it MUST begin with “https://” (as per section 2.7.2 of [RFC7230]).

    -

    Example:

    +

    The “Hiring” field is used for linking to the vendor’s security-related job positions. If this field indicates a web URL, then it MUST begin with “https://” (as per section 2.7.2 of [RFC7230]).

    -Policy: https://example.com/security-policy.html
    +Hiring: https://example.com/jobs.html
     

    -3.5.7. Preferred-Languages +3.5.7. Policy

    -

    This directive can be used to indicate a set of natural languages that are preferred when submitting security reports. This set MAY list multiple values, separated by commas. If this directive is included then at least one value MUST be listed. The values within this set are language tags (as defined in [RFC5646]). If this directive is absent, security researchers MAY assume that English is the default language to be used (as per section 4.5 of [RFC2277]).

    -

    The order in which they appear MUST NOT be interpreted as an indication of priority - rather these MUST be interpreted as all being of equal priority.

    -

    This directive MUST NOT appear more than once.

    -

    Example (English, Spanish and French):

    +

    This field indicates a link to where the vulnerability disclosure policy is located. This can help security researchers understand the organization’s vulnerability reporting practices. If this field indicates a web URL, then it MUST begin with “https://” (as per section 2.7.2 of [RFC7230]).

    +

    Example:

    +
    +Policy: https://example.com/disclosure-policy.html
    +
    +

    +3.5.8. Preferred-Languages +

    +

    This field can be used to indicate a set of natural languages that are preferred when submitting security reports. This set MAY list multiple values, separated by commas. If this field is included then at least one value MUST be listed. The values within this set are language tags (as defined in [RFC5646]). If this field is absent, security researchers may assume that English is the language to be used (as per section 4.5 of [RFC2277]).

    +

    The order in which they appear MUST NOT be interpreted as an indication of priority - rather these MUST be interpreted as all being of equal priority.

    +

    This field MUST NOT appear more than once.

    +

    Example (English, Spanish and French):

     Preferred-Languages: en, es, fr
     
    @@ -705,9 +715,8 @@

    4.1. Web-based services

    -

    Web-based services SHOULD place the security.txt file under the /.well-known/ path; e.g. https://example.com/.well-known/security.txt as per [RFC8615]. For legacy compatibility, a security.txt file might be placed at the top-level path or redirect (as per section 6.4 of [RFC7231]) to the security.txt file under the /.well-known/ path.

    -

    If retrieval of a “security.txt” file from the top-level path results in a redirect (as per section 6.4 of [RFC7231]), the implementors MUST NOT follow that redirect if it leads to another domain or subdomain but SHOULD follow that redirect within the same domain name (but not different subdomain on the same domain).

    -

    The guidance regarding redirects SHOULD NOT apply to the resource locations that appear within the file.

    +

    Web-based services MUST place the security.txt file under the “/.well-known/” path; e.g. https://example.com/.well-known/security.txt as per [RFC8615]. For legacy compatibility, a security.txt file might be placed at the top-level path or redirect (as per section 6.4 of [RFC7231]) to the security.txt file under the “/.well-known/” path. If a “security.txt” file is present in both locations, the one in the “/.well-known/” path MUST be used.

    +

    Retrieval of “security.txt” files and resources indicated within such files may result in a redirect (as per section 6.4 of [RFC7231]). Researchers should perform additional triage (as per Section 6.1) to make sure these redirects are not malicious or point to resources controlled by an attacker.

    4.2. Filesystems

    @@ -721,14 +730,10 @@

    /security.txt

    -4.3. Internal hosts -

    -

    An internal host is “a host served by a NAT gateway, or protected by a firewall” (as per section 3 of [RFC6887]) and might not be accessible directly from the Internet. On such systems, a “security.txt” file SHOULD be placed in the root directory.

    -

    -4.4. Extensibility +4.3. Extensibility

    -

    Like many other formats and protocols, this format may need to be extended over time to fit the ever-changing landscape of the Internet. Therefore, extensibility is provided via an IANA registry for directives as defined in Section 7.2. Any directives registered via that process MUST be considered optional. To encourage extensibility and interoperability, implementors MUST ignore any fields they do not explicitly support.

    -

    In general, implementors SHOULD “be conservative in what you do, be liberal in what you accept from others” (as per [RFC0793]).

    +

    Like many other formats and protocols, this format may need to be extended over time to fit the ever-changing landscape of the Internet. Therefore, extensibility is provided via an IANA registry for fields as defined in Section 7.2. Any fields registered via that process MUST be considered optional. To encourage extensibility and interoperability, implementors MUST ignore any fields they do not explicitly support.

    +

    In general, implementors should “be conservative in what you do, be liberal in what you accept from others” (as per [RFC0793]).

    5. File Format Description and ABNF Grammar

    @@ -743,16 +748,17 @@

    sign-footer = < OpenPGP signature from section 7 of [RFC4880] > -unsigned = *line [can-field eol] - *line (contact-field eol) +unsigned = *line (contact-field eol) + *line [expires-field eol] *line [lang-field eol] *line - ; the order of elements is not important + ; the order of fields within the file is not important line = (field / comment) eol eol = *WSP [CR] LF field = ack-field / + can-field / contact-field / encryption-field / hiring-field / @@ -769,27 +775,31 @@

    contact-field = "Contact" fs SP uri -lang-tag = < Language-Tag from section 2.1 of [RFC5646] > - -uri = < URI as per [RFC3986] > +expires-field = "Expires" fs SP date-time encryption-field = "Encryption" fs SP uri hiring-field = "Hiring" fs SP uri +lang-field = "Preferred-Languages" fs SP lang-values + policy-field = "Policy" fs SP uri -lang-field = "Preferred-Languages" fs SP lang-values +date-time = < imported from section 3.3 of [RFC5322] > + +lang-tag = < Language-Tag from section 2.1 of [RFC5646] > lang-values = lang-tag *(*WSP "," *WSP lang-tag) +uri = < URI as per [RFC3986] > + ext-field = field-name fs SP unstructured field-name = < imported from section 3.6.8 of [RFC5322] > unstructured = < imported from section 3.2.5 of [RFC5322] >

    -

    “ext-field” refers to extension fields, which are discussed in Section 4.4

    +

    “ext-field” refers to extension fields, which are discussed in Section 4.3

    6. Security Considerations

    @@ -798,47 +808,48 @@

    6.1. Compromised Files and Redirects

    An attacker that has compromised a website is able to compromise the “security.txt” file as well or setup a redirect to their own site. This can result in security reports not being received by the organization or sent to the attacker.

    -

    To protect against this, organizations SHOULD digitally sign their “security.txt” files (as per Section 3.4), use the canonical directive to sign the location of the file (as per Section 3.5.2), and regularly monitor the file and the referenced resources to detect tampering.

    -

    Security researchers SHOULD check the “security.txt” file including verifying the digital signature and checking any available historical records before using the information contained in the file. If “security.txt” file looks suspicious or compromised, it SHOULD NOT be used.

    -

    To avoid redirect attacks, redirects for these files MUST NOT be followed when the file is placed in the top level path and they lead to a different domain (as per Section 4.1). This restriction is because the top level path is potentially more likely to be compromised as opposed to the “.well-known” path.

    +

    To protect against this, organizations should digitally sign their “security.txt” files (as per Section 3.4), use the “Canonical” field to sign the locations of the file (as per Section 3.5.2), and regularly monitor the file and the referenced resources to detect tampering.

    +

    Security researchers should triage the “security.txt” file including verifying the digital signature and checking any available historical records before using the information contained in the file. If the “security.txt” file looks suspicious or compromised, it should not be used.

    +

    When retrieving the file and any resources referenced in the file, researchers should record any redirects since they can lead to a different domain or IP address controlled by an attacker. Further inspections of such redirects is recommended before using the information.

    -6.2. Incorrect or Stale Information +6.2. Incorrect or Stale Information

    -

    If information and resources referenced in a “security.txt” file are incorrect or not kept up to date, this can result in security reports not being received by the organization or sent to incorrect contacts, thus exposing possible security issues to third parties. Not having a security.txt file may be preferable to having stale information in this file.

    -

    Organizations SHOULD ensure that information in this file and any referenced resources such as web pages, email addresses and telephone numbers are kept current, are accessible, controlled by the organization, and are kept secure.

    +

    If information and resources referenced in a “security.txt” file are incorrect or not kept up to date, this can result in security reports not being received by the organization or sent to incorrect contacts, thus exposing possible security issues to third parties. Not having a security.txt file may be preferable to having stale information in this file. Organizations are also encouraged to use the “Expires” field (see Section 3.5.5) to indicate to researchers when the data in the file is no longer valid.

    +

    Organizations should ensure that information in this file and any referenced resources such as web pages, email addresses and telephone numbers are kept current, are accessible, controlled by the organization, and are kept secure.

    6.3. Intentionally Malformed Files, Resources and Reports

    -

    It is possible for compromised or malicious sites to create files that are extraordinarily large or otherwise malformed in an attempt to discover or exploit weaknesses in parsing code. Implementors SHOULD make sure that any such code is robust against large and malformed files. The ABNF grammar (as defined in Section 5) SHOULD be used as a way to verify these files.

    +

    It is possible for compromised or malicious sites to create files that are extraordinarily large or otherwise malformed in an attempt to discover or exploit weaknesses in parsing code. Implementors should make sure that any such code is robust against large or malformed files and fields and may choose not to parse files larger than 32 KBs, having fields longer than 2,048 characters or containing more than 1,000 lines. The ABNF grammar (as defined in Section 5) can also be used as a way to verify these files.

    The same concerns apply to any other resources referenced within security.txt files, as well as any security reports received as a result of publishing this file. Such resources and reports may be hostile, malformed or malicious.

    6.4. No Implied Permission for Testing

    The presence of a security.txt file might be interpreted by researchers as providing permission to do security testing against that asset. This might result in increased testing against an organization by researchers. On the other hand, a decision not to publish a security.txt file might be interpreted by the organization operating that website to be a way to signal to researchers that permission to test that particular site or project is denied. This might result in pushback against researchers reporting security issues to that organization.

    -

    Therefore, implementors MUST NOT assume that presence or absence of a “security.txt” file grants or denies permission for security testing. Any such permission MAY be defined in a security or disclosure policy (as per Section 3.5.6) or a new directive (as per Section 4.4).

    +

    Therefore, implementors shouldn’t assume that presence or absence of a “security.txt” file grants or denies permission for security testing. Any such permission may be indicated in the company’s vulnerability disclosure policy (as per Section 3.5.7) or a new field (as per Section 4.3).

    6.5. Multi-user Environments

    -

    In multi-user / multi-tenant environments, it may possible for a user to take over the location of the “security.txt” file. Organizations SHOULD reserve the “security.txt” namespace at the root to ensure no third-party can create a page with the “security.txt” AND “/.well-known/security.txt” names.

    +

    In multi-user / multi-tenant environments, it may possible for a user to take over the location of the “security.txt” file. Organizations should reserve the “security.txt” namespace at the root to ensure no third-party can create a page with the “security.txt” AND “/.well-known/security.txt” names.

    6.6. Protecting Data in Transit

    -

    To protect a “security.txt” file from being tampered with in transit, implementors MUST use HTTPS (as per [RFC2818]) when serving the file itself and for retrieval of any web URLs referenced in it (except when otherwise noted in this specification). As part of the TLS handshake, implementors MUST validate the provided X.509 certificate in accordance with [RFC6125] and the following considerations:

    +

    To protect a “security.txt” file from being tampered with in transit, implementors should use HTTPS (as per [RFC2818]) when serving the file itself and for retrieval of any web URLs referenced in it (except when otherwise noted in this specification). As part of the TLS handshake, implementors should validate the provided X.509 certificate in accordance with [RFC6125] and the following considerations:

    -

    The certificate MAY be checked for revocation via the Online Certificate Status Protocol (OCSP) [RFC6960], certificate revocation lists (CRLs), or similar mechanisms.

    -

    As an additional layer of protection, it is also RECOMMENDED that organizations digitally sign their “security.txt” file with OpenPGP (as per Section 3.4). Also, to protect security reports from being tampered with or observed while in transit, organizations SHOULD specify encryption keys (as per Section 3.5.4) unless HTTPS is being used.

    -

    However, the determination of validity of such keys is out of scope for this specification. Implementors MUST establish other secure means to verify them.

    +

    The certificate may also be checked for revocation via the Online Certificate Status Protocol (OCSP) [RFC6960], certificate revocation lists (CRLs), or similar mechanisms.

    +

    In cases where the “security.txt” file cannot be served via HTTPS or is being served with an invalid certificate, additional human triage is recommended since the contents may have been modified while in transit.

    +

    As an additional layer of protection, it is also recommended that organizations digitally sign their “security.txt” file with OpenPGP (as per Section 3.4). Also, to protect security reports from being tampered with or observed while in transit, organizations should specify encryption keys (as per Section 3.5.4) unless HTTPS is being used.

    +

    However, the determination of validity of such keys is out of scope for this specification. Security researchers need to establish other secure means to verify them.

    6.7. Spam and Spurious Reports

    -

    Similar to concerns in [RFC2142], denial of service attacks via spam reports would become easier once a “security.txt” file is published by an organization. In addition, there is an increased likelihood of reports being sent in an automated fashion and/or as result of automated scans without human triage.

    -

    Organizations SHOULD weigh the advantages of publishing this file versus the possible disadvantages and increased resources required to triage security reports.

    -

    Security researchers SHOULD consult the organization’s policy, if available, before submitting reports in an automated fashion or as resulting from automated scans.

    +

    Similar to concerns in [RFC2142], denial of service attacks via spam reports would become easier once a “security.txt” file is published by an organization. In addition, there is an increased likelihood of reports being sent in an automated fashion and/or as result of automated scans without human triage. Attackers can also use this file as a way to spam unrelated third parties by listing their resources and/or contact information.

    +

    Organizations need to weigh the advantages of publishing this file versus the possible disadvantages and increased resources required to triage security reports.

    +

    Security researchers should review all information within the “security.txt” file before submitting reports in an automated fashion or as resulting from automated scans.

    7. IANA Considerations

    @@ -853,11 +864,11 @@

    Specification document(s): this document

    Status: permanent

    -7.2. Registry for security.txt Header Fields +7.2. Registry for security.txt Fields

    -

    IANA is requested to create the “security.txt Header Fields” registry in accordance with [RFC8126]. This registry will contain header fields for use in security.txt files, defined by this specification.

    +

    IANA is requested to create the “security.txt Fields” registry in accordance with [RFC8126]. This registry will contain fields for use in security.txt files, defined by this specification.

    New registrations or updates MUST be published in accordance with the “Expert Review” guidelines as described in sections 4.5 and 5 of [RFC8126]. Any new field thus registered is considered optional by this specification unless a new version of this specification is published.

    -

    Designated Experts are expected to check whether a proposed registration or update makes sense in the context of this specification and provides value to the wider Internet community.

    +

    Designated Experts are expected to check whether a proposed registration or update makes sense in the context of industry accepted vulnerability disclosure processes such as [ISO.29147.2018] and [CERT.CVD], and provides value to organizations and researchers using this format.

    New registrations and updates MUST contain the following information:

    @@ -898,6 +909,13 @@

    Status: current Change controller: IESG + Field Name: Expires + Description: specifies the date/time after which the data in this file is considered stale + Multiple Appearances: No + Published in: this document + Status: current + Change controller: IESG + Field Name: Encryption Description: link to a key to be used for encrypted communication Multiple Appearances: Yes @@ -1017,11 +1035,6 @@

    Saint-Andre, P. and J. Hodges, "Representation and Verification of Domain-Based Application Service Identity within Internet Public Key Infrastructure Using X.509 (PKIX) Certificates in the Context of Transport Layer Security (TLS)", RFC 6125, DOI 10.17487/RFC6125, March 2011. -[RFC6887] - -Wing, D., Cheshire, S., Boucadair, M., Penno, R. and P. Selkirk, "Port Control Protocol (PCP)", RFC 6887, DOI 10.17487/RFC6887, April 2013. - - [RFC6960] Santesson, S., Myers, M., Ankney, R., Malpani, A., Galperin, S. and C. Adams, "X.509 Internet Public Key Infrastructure Online Certificate Status Protocol - OCSP", RFC 6960, DOI 10.17487/RFC6960, June 2013. @@ -1186,9 +1199,9 @@

  • Addressing IETF feedback (#118)
  • Case sensitivity clarification (#127)
  • Syntax fixes (#133, #135 and #136)
  • -
  • Removed permission directive (#30)
  • -
  • Removed signature directive and switched to inline signatures (#93 and #128)
  • -
  • Adding canonical directive (#100)
  • +
  • Removed permission field (#30)
  • +
  • Removed signature field and switched to inline signatures (#93 and #128)
  • +
  • Adding canonical field (#100)
  • Text and ABNF grammar improvements plus ABNF changes for comments (#123)
  • Changed “.security.txt” to “security.txt” to be consistent
  • @@ -1209,7 +1222,7 @@