Gray Hat Hacking 88
Gray Hat Hacking 88
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either party, many times the vendor will ask the finder to provide assistance in evaluat-
ing if a proposed remedy will be effective in eliminating the flaw. The OIS suggests the
following steps when devising a vulnerability resolution:
1. Vendor determines if a remedy already exists. If one exists, the vendor should
notify the finder immediately. If not, the vendor begins developing one.
2. Vendor ensures that the remedy is available for all supported products/versions.
3. Vendors may choose to share data with the finder as it works to ensure the
remedy will be effective. The finder is not required to participate in this step.
Timeframe
Setting a timeframe for delivery of a remedy is critical due to the risk that the finder and,
in all probability, other users are exposed to. The vendor is expected to produce a rem-
edy to the flaw within 30 days of acknowledging the VSR. Although time is a top prior-
ity, ensuring that a thorough, accurate remedy is developed is equally important. The fix
must solve the problem and not create additional flaws that will put both parties back
in the same situation in the future. When notifying the finder of the target date for its
release of a fix, the vendor should also include the following supporting information:
The 30-day timeframe is not always strictly followed, because the OIS documenta-
tion outlines several factors that should be considered when deciding upon the release
date for the fix. One of the factors is “the engineering complexity of the fix.” What this
equates to is that the fix will take longer if the vendor identifies significant practical
complications in the process of developing the solution. For example, data validation
errors and buffer overflows are usually flaws that can be easily recoded, but when the
errors are embedded in the actual design of the software, then the vendor may actually
have to redesign a portion of the product.
A vendor can typically propose one of two types of remedies: configuration changes
or software changes. A configuration change involve giving the user instructions on
how to change her program settings or parameters to effectively resolve the flaw. Soft-