The Tool Desk
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First, confirm the repository and your testing scope
Make sure you have identified the affected repository and component, and that any testing you performed was within the authorization and scope that apply to you. A project being publicly viewable on GitHub does not, by itself, establish permission for intrusive testing. The appropriate contact, permitted activity, and legal obligations depend on the project and circumstances.
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Check the repository’s security policy
Look for a SECURITY.md file or the repository’s Security policy view. Follow the listed reporting channel, affected-version guidance, and any other instructions. GitHub’s private vulnerability reporting feature is separate from SECURITY.md: a repository’s private report form is available only if its maintainers have enabled the feature.
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If there is no private route, ask for a contact without disclosing the bug
If the policy provides no usable private route and the form is unavailable, create a public issue that asks only for the maintainers’ preferred security contact. GitHub notes that this issue is immediately public and should not include any information about the vulnerability. Do not include a description, affected endpoint, reproduction steps, proof of concept, exploit code, credentials, victim data, or other clues that could expose the issue.
A brief request is enough, for example: “I’d like to report a potential security issue affecting this repository. What is your preferred private contact method?” Do not add technical detail until maintainers have established a private channel. GitHub describes this fallback in its private reporting guidance.
Prepare a useful private report
Once a private channel is available, provide enough information for maintainers to verify and assess the issue, while minimizing exposure of sensitive data. Organize the report so the recipient can move from identification to reproduction and impact:
- Summary: State the issue plainly and identify the affected repository and component.
- Affected versions and prerequisites: Give version information if known, along with the conditions needed for the issue to occur.
- Reproduction: Provide exact steps and a minimal proof of concept, limited to activity within your authorized scope.
- Results: Describe what happens and what you expected to happen.
- Impact: Explain the plausible security consequence and relevant conditions, without overstating what you have demonstrated.
- Mitigation or fix ideas: Include these if you have a safe, useful suggestion; do not present an unverified suggestion as a confirmed fix.
Do not send real user information, secrets, or data taken from systems outside the authorized scope. GitHub’s private report form uses summary, details, proof of concept, and impact statement by default, but the repository may request different fields.
Agree on disclosure expectations and keep a record
In the private conversation, note when you first reported the issue, propose how you would coordinate disclosure, and say whether you can help validate a fix. Keep dated copies of messages and any timeline you and the maintainers agree to. Do not assume there is one deadline that applies to every project: GitHub does not set a universal disclosure period for all reports.
GitHub recommends private initial disclosure. Its coordinated-disclosure guidance says full details should generally wait until maintainers have acknowledged the report and, ideally, remediated the issue or made a patch available. It also recognizes that public disclosure may be appropriate after unsuccessful attempts to make contact or an unreasonable delay. Those are conditional considerations, not a fixed countdown; weigh potential harm to users, the response history, and applicable policy before publishing details. See GitHub’s coordinated disclosure guidance.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What maintainers should do with a report
For maintainers, GitHub recommends acknowledging receipt promptly, involving the reporter in checking validity and impact, considering the reporter’s input during remediation, crediting them when appropriate, publishing a fix promptly, and making the wider ecosystem aware of the vulnerability and remediation. Repository security advisories provide a way to collaborate privately and publish after work on a fix.
When preparing an advisory, include the ecosystem, package, affected versions, impact, applicable patches or workarounds, and references. Identify a fixed version before publication when possible so users have a clear safe update target. If no fix is planned, say so and provide mitigations when helpful. These recommendations and the advisory workflow are described in GitHub’s repository security advisory documentation.
Best Value
GitHub says public repositories on GitHub.com can use repository security advisories and private vulnerability reporting. GitHub is also a CVE Numbering Authority, and eligible advisory creators may request a CVE. Its documentation says CVE requests are usually reviewed within 72 hours; that is GitHub’s review timing for a CVE request, not a promise about maintainer response or a disclosure deadline. Requesting a CVE does not make the advisory public, and not every report necessarily qualifies.
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