concept

security policy

Also known as: security policy, security policies

Facts (12)

Sources

A Mixed-Methods Study of Open-Source Software Maintainers On ... arxiv.org arXiv Feb 3, 2025 11 facts

claimOpen-source software maintainers desire assistance with setting up Project Security Features, including generating security policy content, receiving security tooling recommendations, and having interactive guidance throughout the setup process.

referenceWermke et al. identified that having a security contact point is a commonly mentioned aspect of a security policy.

claimSecurity experts from industry recommend that organizations revisit their security policies and processes at least once a year.

claimOpen-source software (OSS) maintainers desire improvements in vulnerability management, specifically requesting assisted analysis and triaging (e.g., automatic triage of false positives), assisted platform security feature setup (e.g., setting up a security policy), and funding specifically for security efforts (e.g., a bounty pool).

accountInterviewee P13 uses security policies to explicitly discourage contributors from reporting vulnerabilities publicly and provides multiple methods of private communication, such as email, a security mailing list, or GitHub security advisories.

perspectiveSome OSS maintainers avoid implementing security policies unless the project is extremely sensitive, perceiving such features as unnecessary.

quote“We have a security policy in place where we say please do not report it publicly but try to contact me personally via email or send a mail to our security mailing list or create a security advisory on GitHub.”

referenceFoster Charles published 'Knowing when your security policies need updating' on the CharlesIT blog in 2022.

claimSome open-source software maintainers link to organization-specific security policies published outside of the GitHub platform.

referenceAyala et al. found that many GitHub repositories lack a security policy.

claimOpen-source software (OSS) security policies are generally underused by maintainers, despite being intended to inform reporters on how to properly communicate vulnerabilities.

Cybersecurity Trends and Predictions 2025 From Industry Insiders itprotoday.com ITPro Today 1 fact

perspectiveOrganizations must enforce consistent, adaptive security policies that accompany data wherever it flows—cloud, on-premises, or edge—to build a resilient and trust-driven digital economy.