Aexus Answers

SSVC & GitHub: Streamlining Vulnerability Reporting

Alex Johnson
-
SSVC & GitHub: Streamlining Vulnerability Reporting

Background

When a report is submitted, some SSVC decision point values can be captured upon its intake.

GitHub Issue Forms are currently in public preview, offering a new way to structure issue submissions.

Idea

Given an SSVC DecisionTable, the idea is to collect the non-outcome DecisionPoint objects it contains and emit these as YAML-formatted text. This YAML can then be inserted into a /.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/<my_ssvc_form>.yml file to create a structured issue form.

Detailed Explanation

Understanding SSVC Decision Points

To effectively integrate SSVC (Stakeholder-Specific Vulnerability Categorization) into GitHub Issue Forms, it's crucial to first understand what SSVC decision points are and how they contribute to the vulnerability management process. SSVC is a framework developed by the CERT Coordination Center (CERT/CC) to help organizations prioritize and respond to vulnerabilities based on their specific circumstances. Unlike generic scoring systems like CVSS, SSVC takes into account factors such as the exploitability of the vulnerability, the potential impact on the organization, and any mitigating controls that are in place.

Decision points within the SSVC framework are specific questions or criteria that help determine the appropriate course of action for a given vulnerability. These decision points often relate to factors such as whether the vulnerability is actively being exploited, the availability of patches or workarounds, and the criticality of the affected systems or data. By systematically evaluating these decision points, organizations can make more informed decisions about which vulnerabilities to address first and how to allocate their limited resources.

The key to integrating SSVC into GitHub Issue Forms lies in capturing these decision points at the time a vulnerability report is submitted. This ensures that all relevant information is collected upfront, streamlining the triage process and enabling security teams to quickly assess the severity and potential impact of the vulnerability. By providing a structured format for capturing SSVC decision points, organizations can improve the consistency and accuracy of their vulnerability assessments, leading to more effective risk management.

Leveraging GitHub Issue Forms

GitHub Issue Forms provide a powerful mechanism for standardizing the submission of issues, including vulnerability reports. By defining a structured form with specific fields and validation rules, organizations can ensure that reporters provide all the necessary information upfront, reducing the back-and-forth communication often required to gather complete details. This not only saves time but also improves the quality of the reports, making it easier for security teams to triage and address vulnerabilities effectively.

With GitHub Issue Forms, you can create custom fields to capture various aspects of a vulnerability report, such as the affected software or system, the type of vulnerability, the potential impact, and any steps to reproduce the issue. You can also include fields for capturing SSVC decision points, allowing reporters to provide their assessment of the vulnerability based on the SSVC framework. By mapping SSVC decision points to specific fields in the issue form, you can ensure that all relevant information is collected in a consistent and structured manner.

One of the key benefits of using GitHub Issue Forms is that it allows you to automate the process of collecting and analyzing vulnerability data. By integrating the issue form with other tools and systems, such as vulnerability scanners or ticketing systems, you can automatically populate fields with relevant information and trigger workflows based on the reporter's responses. This can significantly reduce the manual effort required to triage and address vulnerabilities, freeing up security teams to focus on more strategic tasks.

YAML-Formatted Text

The idea proposes emitting the collected DecisionPoint objects as YAML-formatted text. YAML (YAML Ain't Markup Language) is a human-readable data serialization format that is commonly used for configuration files and data exchange. Its simple syntax and structure make it easy to read and write, making it an ideal choice for representing structured data in a human-friendly format. In the context of GitHub Issue Forms, YAML is used to define the structure and content of the issue form itself.

By emitting the SSVC decision points as YAML-formatted text, you can easily insert them into the /.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/<my_ssvc_form>.yml file, which defines the structure of the issue form. This allows you to create a custom issue form that includes specific fields for capturing SSVC decision points, ensuring that reporters provide all the necessary information for assessing the vulnerability based on the SSVC framework. The YAML format also allows you to define validation rules and constraints for each field, ensuring that the data is consistent and accurate.

To generate the YAML-formatted text, you can use a scripting language such as Python or Ruby, along with a YAML library. The script would iterate through the DecisionPoint objects and create a YAML representation of each object, including its name, description, and any associated options or values. The resulting YAML text can then be inserted into the issue form template, creating a custom issue form that includes the SSVC decision points.

Practical Implementation Steps

Integrating SSVC into GitHub Issue Forms involves a few key steps, each requiring careful consideration to ensure a seamless and effective process. The first step is to identify the relevant SSVC decision points that you want to capture in your issue form. These decision points should be aligned with your organization's vulnerability management policies and procedures, and they should cover the key factors that influence your decision-making process. Once you have identified the decision points, you need to map them to specific fields in the issue form.

Next, create a GitHub Issue Form in your repository. This involves creating a .github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE directory in the root of your repository and adding a YAML file that defines the structure and content of the issue form. The YAML file should include fields for capturing the SSVC decision points, as well as any other relevant information about the vulnerability. You can use the Syntax for GitHub's form schema to define the structure and validation rules for each field.

After creating the issue form, you need to generate the YAML-formatted text for the SSVC decision points. This can be done using a scripting language such as Python or Ruby, along with a YAML library. The script would iterate through the DecisionPoint objects and create a YAML representation of each object, including its name, description, and any associated options or values. The resulting YAML text can then be inserted into the issue form template, creating a custom issue form that includes the SSVC decision points.

Finally, test the issue form to ensure that it is working as expected. Submit a few test reports and verify that the SSVC decision points are being captured correctly. You can also integrate the issue form with other tools and systems, such as vulnerability scanners or ticketing systems, to automate the process of collecting and analyzing vulnerability data. By following these steps, you can effectively integrate SSVC into GitHub Issue Forms and streamline your vulnerability management process.

Additional Information

Conclusion

Integrating SSVC into GitHub Issue Forms represents a significant step forward in streamlining vulnerability reporting and management. By capturing key decision points upfront, organizations can improve the consistency and accuracy of their vulnerability assessments, leading to more effective risk management. The use of YAML-formatted text simplifies the process of creating custom issue forms that include SSVC decision points, while GitHub Issue Forms provide a powerful mechanism for standardizing the submission of issues. By following the steps outlined in this article, organizations can effectively integrate SSVC into their GitHub workflows and enhance their overall security posture. For more information on vulnerability management, consider visiting the SANS Institute at https://www.sans.org/.

You may also like