Building a Vulnerability Disclosure Program
If you're company's online presence is in the form of a website, app, or infrastructure, keeping it safe and secure is a big deal. A vulnerability disclosure program does this exact thing, i.e, A bug bounty program. The program focuses on checking weak spots before people who cause trouble create chaos.
Why Is a Vulnerability Disclosure Program Required?
A VDP is a proactive approach to protect users and data, safeguard brand reputation, and mitigate risks.
Proactive Risk Mitigation: Threats evolve as technology rapidly evolves. A VDP enables organizations to identify and fix vulnerabilities before malicious actors exploit them, reducing the likelihood of data breaches or service disruptions.
Building Trust with Users: A VDP ensures commitment to security through a transparent structure, organizations foster trust across customers, partners, and stakeholders. Publicly or privately acknowledging the contributions of ethical hackers reinforces this trust.
Leveraging the Security Community: The cybersecurity community possesses a huge talent pool of security researchers and ethical hackers (White-hat) with diverse skills and perspectives. A VDP taps into this expertise, providing insights that internal teams might overlook or not be able to prioritize.
Compliance and Regulatory Alignment: Organizations and industries, once they reach a certain scale, are subject to regulations (e.g., GDPR, CCPA, or PCI DSS) that demand robust security practices. A VDP enables organizations to meet these requirements by systematically addressing vulnerabilities.
Cost-Effective Security: An effective VDP significantly minimizes the outcome of a breach occurring. A long-term and synchronized provision ensures cost-effective measures against a probable breach.
Reputation Management: A well-managed and structured strategy signals an organization prioritizes security, enriching its reputation. Contrarily, ignoring vulnerabilities can damage credibility.
Key Components of a Vulnerability Disclosure Program
Establishing a Vulnerability Disclosure Program requires a multi-aspect focus, which includes: planning, strategy, prioritization, execution, and communication.
1. Purpose Statement
A clear purpose effectively dictates and buys stakeholder and leadership buy-in, inherently setting the tone and aligning with the organization's mission and values.
Articulate Commitment: Highlight the organization's dedication to securing assets and user/customer trust.
Encourage Collaboration: Invite ethical hackers and security researchers to contribute responsibly.
Define Program Goals: Highlight goals like reducing risks, protecting user data, and improving platform/product/enterprise security.
2. Requirements for a VDP: Addressing the requirements of a VDP:
a. Leadership Buy-In
Secure support from execs and stakeholders through effective communication and risk-based analysis.
Educate leadership on the advantages of a VDP, such as risk reduction, cost benefits in the long term, and enhanced trust across customers.
b. Dedicated Security Team
You would require a dedicated team for this program. This team can also be a one-person team, but the number may need to increase as the company scales.
The team would be responsible for tasks such as triaging reports, communicating with researchers, coordinating fixes, automations, etc.
Ensure the team has expertise in vulnerability assessment and remediation.
c. Legal Framework
Develop a Safe Harbor (VDP) policy to protect researchers who act in good faith from legal repercussions.
It would require buy-in and guidance from legal counsel, security, and leadership to ensure compliance with laws and regulations.
d. Reporting Platform
Choose a platform for receiving and managing vulnerability reports (e.g., HackerOne, Bugcrowd, or an in-house solution). If you're starting, you will likely require an external platform.
Provide clear instructions for submitting reports, including required details like vulnerability description, affected assets, and proof-of-concept (PoC). These instructions will be hosted on your company's site and made publicly visible.
e. Response SLAs
Define Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for acknowledging and resolving reports (e.g., acknowledge within 48 hours, resolve critical issues within 7 days).
Communicate SLAs to researchers to set expectations.
f. Bug Bounty (Optional)
Choose whether to offer monetary rewards for valid reports. If offering bounties, define reward tiers based on vulnerability severity (e.g., $100 for low, $10,000 for critical) based on company thresholds.
Ensure transparency in the reward process to maintain researcher and community trust.
3. Defining the Scope
The scope of a VDP outlines which assets, environments, and vulnerability types are eligible for testing and reporting. A clear and well-defined scope prevents perplexity and ensures researchers focus on relevant areas.
a. In-Scope Assets
Web Applications: Include domains and subdomains owned by the organization (e.g., *.example.com).
Mobile Applications: Specify iOS and Android apps, including app store IDs for clarity.
APIs: Include endpoints used for communication between the platform and users.
Infrastructure: Cover cloud-based infrastructure supporting services.
Example In-Scope Assets:
Web: Production: *.example.com (Critical), Testing: *.example.xyz (High)
Mobile: Example iOS App (App Store ID: 123456), Example Android App (Play Store ID: com.example.app)
APIs: All public-facing API endpoints
Infrastructure: Example-owned AWS/GCP resources (EC2, VPC, etc)
b. Out-of-Scope Assets
Exclude assets not owned or controlled by the organization (e.g., third-party services, cloud providers).
Prohibit testing on non-production environments (e.g., dev/staging) or user-generated content.
Clearly list out-of-scope domains (e.g., blog.example.com, shop.example.com).
Example Out-of-Scope Assets:
Third-party services: analytics.example.com, paymentprocessor.com
Non-production environments: dev.example.com, test.example.com
User-generated content: reviews, listings, or images
c. Accepted Vulnerability Types:
Some reference frameworks to use: OWASP TOP 10, MITRE, NIST, CIS, etc
Authentication/Authorization: Broken authentication, session flaws, or improper access controls.
API Security: Insecure endpoints, improper validation, or data exposure.
Web Vulnerabilities: XSS, SQL Injection, CSRF, SSRF, or directory traversal.
Mobile Security: Insecure data storage, hardcoded secrets, or lack of TLS.
Sensitive Data Exposure: Leaking PII, financial data, or unauthorized account access.
Security Misconfigurations: Default credentials, unpatched software, or vulnerable libraries.
Business Logic Flaws: Exploitable transaction or platform logic.
d. Out-of-Scope Vulnerability Types
Low-impact issues: Missing HTTP headers (e.g., HSTS, CSP) without demonstrable impact.
Informational issues: Software version disclosure, descriptive error messages.
Prohibited attacks: DoS/DDoS, brute-force, or automated scans.
Non-exploitable issues: Clickjacking on non-sensitive pages and open redirects without impact.
Example Out-of-Scope Vulnerabilities:
Missing best practices (e.g., SPF/DKIM/DMARC, HttpOnly cookie flags)
Vulnerabilities requiring outdated browsers or unlikely user interaction
Public zero-day vulnerabilities patched within the last 30 days
4. Rules of Engagement
Rules of engagement ensure responsible testing and protect both the organization and researchers. It includes:
Prohibited Actions:
Do not create fake accounts or fraudulent content on production systems.
Avoid DoS/DDoS attacks or tests that disrupt services.
Do not access or modify user data without consent.
Prohibit public disclosure of vulnerabilities before resolution.
Permitted Actions:
Create test accounts on designated environments (e.g., sandbox.example.com) with specific naming conventions (e.g., hacker-username).
Delete test accounts after testing.
Use test accounts for research without impacting real users.
Reporting Guidelines:
Submit reports via the designated platform with detailed information (e.g., PoC, screenshots, impact).
Include attack scenarios and risk assessments to aid triage.
Abide by applicable laws and regulations.
Example Naming Convention:
For testing on sandbox.example.com, create accounts with the prefix "research-" (e.g., hacker-johnsmith). De-commission accounts after testing.
5. End-User Engagement
Effective engagement and communication with researchers and the broader community are critical to a VDP's success. It builds and harbors trust, encourages participation, and ensures smooth collaboration (present and future).
a. Clear Communication
Publish a detailed VDP policy on a publicly accessible webpage (e.g., example.com/security).
Provide contact information for inquiries (e.g., security@example.com). Helps with private disclosures
Use simple, accessible language to describe the program, scope, and rules.
b. Streamlined Reporting Process
Offer a user-friendly reporting platform with clear submission guidelines.
Require specific details in reports, such as:
Vulnerability description
Affected asset(s)
Steps to reproduce
Impact and risk assessment
PoC, screenshots, or videos
Timelines
Acknowledge reports promptly (e.g., within 48 hours) and provide updates on resolution progress.
c. Safe Harbor Assurance
It reassures researchers that responsible disclosures will not face legal action.
d. Recognition and Incentives
Acknowledge researchers' contributions through a public "Hall of Fame" or thank-you page. (Optional)
Offer clear reward tiers based on severity and impact, based on valid bug bounty reports.
Provide non-monetary incentives, such as swag or exclusive program invites. (Optional)
e. Community Engagement (Post Effective Successful VDP)
Participate in security conferences or webinars to promote the VDP.
Share success stories (anonymized if necessary) to highlight the program's impact.
Solicit feedback from researchers to improve the program.
6. General Steps for Successful VDP
To maximize the effectiveness of a VDP, consider these best practices:
Start Small and Scale: Begin with a limited scope (e.g., one domain) and expand as the program matures.
Iterate Based on Feedback: Regularly update the VDP policy based on researcher input and evolving threats.
Automate Triage: Use tools to filter out low-quality reports and prioritize critical issues.
Educate Internal Teams: Train developers and IT staff on secure coding and vulnerability remediation.
Monitor Program Metrics: Track metrics like report volume, resolution time, and bounty costs to assess performance.
Stay Transparent: Publicly disclose resolved vulnerabilities (with researcher consent) to demonstrate accountability.
Implementation Steps: Follow these steps to launch a VDP
Draft the Policy:
Define the purpose, scope, rules, and Safe Harbor clause.
Consult legal and security teams for approval.
Set Up Infrastructure:
Choose a reporting platform (e.g., HackerOne, Bugcrowd, or email-based).
Configure test environments (e.g., sandbox.example.com) for researcher access.
Publish the VDP:
Create a dedicated webpage (e.g., example.com/security).
Promote the program via blog posts, social media, and security forums.
Manage Reports:
Acknowledge reports promptly and assign them to the security team.
Validate vulnerabilities, coordinate fixes, and communicate with researchers.
Reward and Recognize:
Issue bounties or non-monetary rewards for valid reports.
Update the Hall of Fame or thank-you page.
Review and Improve:
Analyze program performance and gather researcher feedback.
Update the policy and scope as needed.
Challenges and How to Address Them
Challenge: Overwhelming report volume.
Solution: Use automated triage tools and clearly define out-of-scope issues to filter low-quality reports.
Challenge: Researcher dissatisfaction with rewards or response times.
Solution: Set clear expectations for SLAs and bounties. Communicate transparently during the triage process.
Challenge: Legal concerns from researchers.
Solution: Provide a robust Safe Harbor policy and work with legal counsel to address third-party issues. (Focus on the fine-grained details)
Challenge: Internal resistance to fixing vulnerabilities. (Can be a separate blog in itself)
Solution: Enlighten teams on the risks of unpatched vulnerabilities and prioritize fixes based on severity. (Can be a separate blog in itself)
Conclusion
A Vulnerability Disclosure Program is like having a team of friendly sherlocks keeping the organization's assets safe. It is a great way to be proactive, catch large and small-scale problems early, and make users/ customers happy by building trust and showing the world that the organization takes the safety of systems and data seriously. Defining a clear purpose, scope, and engagement strategy, organizations can addresses vulnerabilities and strengthen their security posture. Start small, iterate often, and engage transparently with researchers to build a program that delivers lasting value, and your VDP can become a cornerstone of your organization's security strategy.
References:
