O'Reilly Open Source Convention - August 1-5, 2005

Session
Are Open Source Developers Prepared for Security Bugs?
Alex Vincent, Software Designer, Cenzic, Inc.
Nitesh Dhanjani, Manager, Advanced Security Centers, Ernst & Young LLP
Dan Veditz, Mozilla

Track: Security
Date: Thursday, August 4th, 2005
Time: 2:35pm - 3:20pm
Location: E144
When it comes to open source software design, most open source programmers don't think much about security. Indeed, they may not even recognize the dangers properly.

"I've filed all kinds of bugs. But I'd never filed a bug that implied a potential security hole." These words open an article about how one user-friendly feature in a popular program exposed a vulnerability, and how the author handled it.

When faced with a situation like this, what's the right thing to do? What defines a bug as a security issue, and how do developers think of bugs from a security viewpoint? Tell the world or hide the details from would-be exploiters? If it's already been exposed, would you still want to hide it? What makes an issue a legitimate security threat, and what makes it paranoia?

This forum is to debate the issues and "best practices" of secure programming, and to balance the potential for security holes against user-friendly features. Both the experienced and the inexperienced are welcome to weigh in with their opinions.