Penetration Testing mailing list archives
Re: Disclosure of vulns and its legal aspects...
From: Sat Jagat Singh <flyingdervish () yahoo com>
Date: Wed, 30 May 2007 08:35:03 -0700 (PDT)
IMHO, I would consider probing random web sites for security vulnerabilities as ethically questionable at best. To then promote yourself to the site owner through what sounds like a veiled threat definitely crosses the line. No wonder companies reject those kinds of demands. If they are smart, they might turn around and hire someone with a solid reputation to hunt down the vulnerability. In the U.S. there are no clear laws about conducting this type of research; and so the chance of prosecution is pretty low, but I wouldn't be surprised at getting hit with a civil lawsuit. As I understand the laws in the UK (definitely not my sphere), you could be (and others have been) jailed for the activity you've already conducted; making the point that many people consider this activity not only unethical, but criminal (kind of overboard, I think). If you are just concerned about their security, I would send an anonymous email and then forget about it. By no means should you publicize such a vulnerability until you have disclosed it to the site owner. --- Dark Cold Ice <darkcoldice () gmail com> wrote:
Hi all, It was earlier today whilst testing some websites as a personal research/leisure time that i found a quite critical bug in a major computer related website which will not be disclosured until all the legal aspects of the disclosure process itself are dealt with. After detecting the aforementioned vulnerability i was, like many have been before, "jailed" between the decisions of reporting it or not, it didn't take me long to decide to report it to the vendor as the flaw itself was on it's website... My first step and only one so far was to write the vendor the typical "praxis" e-mail saying that there MIGHT be a vulnerability SOMEWHERE on their website and that i would like carte blanche to investigate a bit more about it. I am now stuck with 3 thoughts, first of all, if the answer is no ( most common perhaps) the vendor will be losing its chance to know where and what flaw is it... will i be stuck with that and not be able to publicize it to the security community? Second thought, if the vendor says yes, i will report them the vulnerability but, what entitles me the right to do it legally... a simple e-mail would be enough perhaps... Third and last thought, if they indeed agree to give me the chance to test and report them the vulnerability i will only be entitled to publicize it once solved, but even then, will it be legal to make a full disclosure? Thank you all in advance, Darkcoldice PS: What would the difference be between the US and UK laws on that final aspect?
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Current thread:
- Disclosure of vulns and its legal aspects... Dark Cold Ice (May 29)
- RE: Disclosure of vulns and its legal aspects... James Wilburn (May 29)
- Re: Disclosure of vulns and its legal aspects... Lee Lawson (May 30)
- Re: Disclosure of vulns and its legal aspects... Steve Friedl (May 30)
- Re: Disclosure of vulns and its legal aspects... Lee Lawson (May 30)
- Re: Disclosure of vulns and its legal aspects... Lee Lawson (May 30)
- RE: Disclosure of vulns and its legal aspects... James Wilburn (May 29)
- Re: Disclosure of vulns and its legal aspects... Sat Jagat Singh (May 30)
- Re: Disclosure of vulns and its legal aspects... Morning Wood (May 30)
- <Possible follow-ups>
- Re: Disclosure of vulns and its legal aspects... krymson (May 30)
- Re: Disclosure of vulns and its legal aspects... cwright (May 31)