LinuxTV

Projects that follow the best practices below can voluntarily self-certify and show that they've achieved an Open Source Security Foundation (OpenSSF) best practices badge.

If this is your project, please show your badge status on your project page! The badge status looks like this: Badge level for project 2582 is silver Here is how to embed it:

These are the Silver level criteria. You can also view the Passing or Gold level criteria.

        

 Basics 17/17 ●

  • Identification

    The LinuxTV community develops and maintains the Linux Kernel Media Subsystems and several userspace libraries and applications.

    The Linux Kernel Media Subsystems provide support for devices like webcams, streaming capture and output, analog TV, digital TV, AM/FM radio, Sofware Digital Radio (SDR), remote controllers and encoders/decoders for compressed video formats. It offers native support for a large number of drivers for commonly available PCI cards and USB devices, but the subsystems are also targeted towards Linux based set-top-boxes and embedded devices like mobile phones.

    The main goal is to develop the Linux Kernel media subsystem.

    We also develop a series of userspace applications, tools and libraries: v4l-utils, ZBar, Kaffeine, XawTv, TVtime, Camorama, EDID decode, Digital TV tables. While several applications are used primarely by end users, for the developers of the project, their primary goal is to be able to test the Kernel development and to provide userspace libraries to enhance the media subsystem support.

  • Prerequisites


    Enough for a badge!

    The project MUST achieve a passing level badge. [achieve_passing]

  • Basic project website content


    Enough for a badge!

    The information on how to contribute MUST include the requirements for acceptable contributions (e.g., a reference to any required coding standard). (URL required) [contribution_requirements]

    We adopt Kernel coding style: https://git.kernel.org/cgit/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/tree/Documentation/SubmittingPatches That's also described at the Wiki.


  • Project oversight


    Enough for a badge!

    The project SHOULD have a legal mechanism where all developers of non-trivial amounts of project software assert that they are legally authorized to make these contributions. The most common and easily-implemented approach for doing this is by using a Developer Certificate of Origin (DCO), where users add "signed-off-by" in their commits and the project links to the DCO website. However, this MAY be implemented as a Contributor License Agreement (CLA), or other legal mechanism. (URL required) [dco]

    https://www.kernel.org/doc/html/latest/process/submitting-patches.html#sign-your-work-the-developer-s-certificate-of-origin We also maintain a copy of it on our Wiki.


    Enough for a badge!

    The project MUST clearly define and document its project governance model (the way it makes decisions, including key roles). (URL required) [governance]

    For the Kernel: https://www.kernel.org/doc/html/latest/process/development-process.html. A similar development process is used for userspace tools.


    Enough for a badge!

    The project MUST adopt a code of conduct and post it in a standard location. (URL required) [code_of_conduct]

    https://linuxtv.org/wiki/index.php/LinuxTVWiki:Privacy_policy


    Enough for a badge!

    The project MUST clearly define and publicly document the key roles in the project and their responsibilities, including any tasks those roles must perform. It MUST be clear who has which role(s), though this might not be documented in the same way. (URL required) [roles_responsibilities]

    For the Kernel: https://www.kernel.org/doc/html/latest/process/development-process.html. A similar development process is used for userspace tools.


    Enough for a badge!

    The project MUST be able to continue with minimal interruption if any one person dies, is incapacitated, or is otherwise unable or unwilling to continue support of the project. In particular, the project MUST be able to create and close issues, accept proposed changes, and release versions of software, within a week of confirmation of the loss of support from any one individual. This MAY be done by ensuring someone else has any necessary keys, passwords, and legal rights to continue the project. Individuals who run a FLOSS project MAY do this by providing keys in a lockbox and a will providing any needed legal rights (e.g., for DNS names). (URL required) [access_continuity]

    For the Kernel: https://www.kernel.org/doc/html/latest/process/development-process.html. A similar development process is used for userspace tools.


    Enough for a badge!

    The project SHOULD have a "bus factor" of 2 or more. (URL required) [bus_factor]

    For the Kernel: https://www.kernel.org/doc/html/latest/process/development-process.html.


  • Documentation


    Enough for a badge!

    The project MUST have a documented roadmap that describes what the project intends to do and not do for at least the next year. (URL required) [documentation_roadmap]

    There is never a roadmap for the kernel, this type of thing is crazy for a project to try to determine. If you want to see what is coming, look at https://git.kernel.org/. We do have at least one Media Summit per year where we discuss the subsystem's evolution. The results of the summits are at https://linuxtv.org/news.php.


    Enough for a badge!

    The project MUST include documentation of the architecture (aka high-level design) of the software produced by the project. If the project does not produce software, select "not applicable" (N/A). (URL required) [documentation_architecture]

    https://www.kernel.org/doc/html/latest/process/development-process.html. The media architecture itself is described at: https://linuxtv.org/docs.php.


    Enough for a badge!

    The project MUST document what the user can and cannot expect in terms of security from the software produced by the project (its "security requirements"). (URL required) [documentation_security]

    https://www.kernel.org/doc/html/latest/admin-guide/security-bugs.html


    Enough for a badge!

    The project MUST provide a "quick start" guide for new users to help them quickly do something with the software. (URL required) [documentation_quick_start]

    https://linuxtv.org/wiki/index.php/User_information


    Enough for a badge!

    The project MUST make an effort to keep the documentation consistent with the current version of the project results (including software produced by the project). Any known documentation defects making it inconsistent MUST be fixed. If the documentation is generally current, but erroneously includes some older information that is no longer true, just treat that as a defect, then track and fix as usual. [documentation_current]

    https://linuxtv.org/docs.php


    Enough for a badge!

    The project repository front page and/or website MUST identify and hyperlink to any achievements, including this best practices badge, within 48 hours of public recognition that the achievement has been attained. (URL required) [documentation_achievements]

    We keep all trees at https://git.linuxtv.org. They contain all achievements.


  • Accessibility and internationalization


    Enough for a badge!

    The project (both project sites and project results) SHOULD follow accessibility best practices so that persons with disabilities can still participate in the project and use the project results where it is reasonable to do so. [accessibility_best_practices]

    The focus of the project is to provide support for video streaming. Yet, Digital TV API and userspace apps support captions, allowing impared hearing people to watch video. Also, it supports multiple audio channels including narration ones, allowing people with visual disabilities to be able to watch TV.


    Enough for a badge!

    The software produced by the project SHOULD be internationalized to enable easy localization for the target audience's culture, region, or language. If internationalization (i18n) does not apply (e.g., the software doesn't generate text intended for end-users and doesn't sort human-readable text), select "not applicable" (N/A). [internationalization]

    The project use i8n technologies on userspace tools in order to allow multiple language translations. Several language translations are provided.


  • Other


    Enough for a badge!

    If the project sites (website, repository, and download URLs) store passwords for authentication of external users, the passwords MUST be stored as iterated hashes with a per-user salt by using a key stretching (iterated) algorithm (e.g., Argon2id, Bcrypt, Scrypt, or PBKDF2). If the project sites do not store passwords for this purpose, select "not applicable" (N/A). [sites_password_security]

    Passwords are stored only for wiki. Twiki stores them encrypted.


  • Previous versions


    Enough for a badge!

    The project MUST maintain the most often used older versions of the product or provide an upgrade path to newer versions. If the upgrade path is difficult, the project MUST document how to perform the upgrade (e.g., the interfaces that have changed and detailed suggested steps to help upgrade). [maintenance_or_update]

    We maintain a ports tree that allows usind new drivers with older Kernels.


  • Bug-reporting process


    Enough for a badge!

    The project MUST use an issue tracker for tracking individual issues. [report_tracker]

    For the Kernel, we use: https://bugzilla.kernel.org. Other sub-projects use GitHub; Kaffeine uses http://bugs.kde.org/.


  • Vulnerability report process


    Enough for a badge!

    The project MUST give credit to the reporter(s) of all vulnerability reports resolved in the last 12 months, except for the reporter(s) who request anonymity. If there have been no vulnerabilities resolved in the last 12 months, select "not applicable" (N/A). (URL required) [vulnerability_report_credit]

    We use Reported-by: tags to indicate contributions. Those are stored at the git trees: https://git.linuxtv.org/


    Enough for a badge!

    The project MUST have a documented process for responding to vulnerability reports. (URL required) [vulnerability_response_process]

    https://www.kernel.org/doc/html/latest/admin-guide/security-bugs.html


  • Coding standards


    Enough for a badge!

    The project MUST identify the specific coding style guides for the primary languages it uses, and require that contributions generally comply with it. (URL required) [coding_standards]

    https://linuxtv.org/wiki/index.php/Development:_Coding_Style


    Enough for a badge!

    The project MUST automatically enforce its selected coding style(s) if there is at least one FLOSS tool that can do so in the selected language(s). [coding_standards_enforced]

    scripts/checkpatch.pl checks and enforces coding style rules.


  • Working build system


    Enough for a badge!

    Build systems for native binaries MUST honor the relevant compiler and linker (environment) variables passed in to them (e.g., CC, CFLAGS, CXX, CXXFLAGS, and LDFLAGS) and pass them to compiler and linker invocations. A build system MAY extend them with additional flags; it MUST NOT simply replace provided values with its own. If no native binaries are being generated, select "not applicable" (N/A). [build_standard_variables]

    All build environment variables are properly handled.


    Enough for a badge!

    The build and installation system SHOULD preserve debugging information if they are requested in the relevant flags (e.g., "install -s" is not used). If there is no build or installation system (e.g., typical JavaScript libraries), select "not applicable" (N/A). [build_preserve_debug]

    For the Kernel, configuration options allow for all debugging symbols to be retained in the built objects. For userspace apps/libraries, the building system honours LDFLAGS.


    Enough for a badge!

    The build system for the software produced by the project MUST NOT recursively build subdirectories if there are cross-dependencies in the subdirectories. If there is no build or installation system (e.g., typical JavaScript libraries), select "not applicable" (N/A). [build_non_recursive]

    No recursion in the build system when there are cross-dependencies in the subdirectories.


    Enough for a badge!

    The project MUST be able to repeat the process of generating information from source files and get exactly the same bit-for-bit result. If no building occurs (e.g., scripting languages where the source code is used directly instead of being compiled), select "not applicable" (N/A). [build_repeatable]

    The project meets the reproducible build requirements.


  • Installation system


    Enough for a badge!

    The project MUST provide a way to easily install and uninstall the software produced by the project using a commonly-used convention. [installation_common]

    Many third parties provide packages (e.g., .deb for apt-get, .rpm). We also store compressed tarballs at https://linuxtv.org/downloads for the source code userspace components. The install steps are described at the top level directory at README and INSTALL files (or README.md/INSTALL.md).


    Enough for a badge!

    The installation system for end-users MUST honor standard conventions for selecting the location where built artifacts are written to at installation time. For example, if it installs files on a POSIX system it MUST honor the DESTDIR environment variable. If there is no installation system or no standard convention, select "not applicable" (N/A). [installation_standard_variables]

    It uses standard tools that honors things like DESTDIR.


    Enough for a badge!

    The project MUST provide a way for potential developers to quickly install all the project results and support environment necessary to make changes, including the tests and test environment. This MUST be performed with a commonly-used convention. [installation_development_quick]

    At Kernel, all distros usually have a 'kernel-developer' meta-package option to automatically install needed dependancies to build the project. On userspace, "make install" install all compiled components.


  • Externally-maintained components


    Enough for a badge!

    The project MUST list external dependencies in a computer-processable way. (URL required) [external_dependencies]

    This applies only for userspace. We don't maintain a per-distribution parseable list of components upstream, as this is distro-dependent, but this is easily obtained within the distributions.


    Enough for a badge!

    Projects MUST monitor or periodically check their external dependencies (including convenience copies) to detect known vulnerabilities, and fix exploitable vulnerabilities or verify them as unexploitable. [dependency_monitoring]

    The kernel has no external dependencies. No media apps require priviledged (root) access.


    Enough for a badge!

    The project MUST either:
    1. make it easy to identify and update reused externally-maintained components; or
    2. use the standard components provided by the system or programming language.
    Then, if a vulnerability is found in a reused component, it will be easy to update that component. [updateable_reused_components]

    All efforts are made to avoid non-standard components.


    Enough for a badge!

    The project SHOULD avoid using deprecated or obsolete functions and APIs where FLOSS alternatives are available in the set of technology it uses (its "technology stack") and to a supermajority of the users the project supports (so that users have ready access to the alternative). [interfaces_current]

    All efforts are made to keep the projects updated to the latest versions of the libraries it uses.


  • Automated test suite


    Enough for a badge!

    An automated test suite MUST be applied on each check-in to a shared repository for at least one branch. This test suite MUST produce a report on test success or failure. [automated_integration_testing]

    It is not possible to automate tests for hardware-dependent components. We're adding automation to the media core function by using virtual drivers that emulate a real hardware. For the Linux Kernel, the 0-day bot runs on each commit in almost all maintainers trees before they are merged into Linus's tree.


    Enough for a badge!

    The project MUST add regression tests to an automated test suite for at least 50% of the bugs fixed within the last six months. [regression_tests_added50]

    It is impossible to create automated regression tests for even a small percentage of the bugs found in the kernel. It is even harder for parts that depend having an specific hardware. Yet, people are actively working on this, and we do have a very large test suite that includes checks for almost all major CVEs that can be tested for.


    Enough for a badge!

    The project MUST have FLOSS automated test suite(s) that provide at least 80% statement coverage if there is at least one FLOSS tool that can measure this criterion in the selected language. [test_statement_coverage80]

    Code coverage is a horrible metric, specially for hardware-dependent software components. See above for the discussion about our automated regression tests.


  • New functionality testing


    Enough for a badge!

    The project MUST have a formal written policy that as major new functionality is added, tests for the new functionality MUST be added to an automated test suite. [test_policy_mandated]

    Not all new features are able to have automated tests added for them. Yet, there are compliance tools and it is a requirement that developers should run them before submitting new drivers.


    Enough for a badge!

    The project MUST include, in its documented instructions for change proposals, the policy that tests are to be added for major new functionality. [tests_documented_added]

    We follow Linux Kernel policies.


  • Warning flags


    Enough for a badge!

    Projects MUST be maximally strict with warnings in the software produced by the project, where practical. [warnings_strict]

    We follow the Kernel policies. On distros, usually all warnings produce errors. At the Linux Kernel, this is an optional build feature.


  • Secure development knowledge


    Enough for a badge!

    The project MUST implement secure design principles (from "know_secure_design"), where applicable. If the project is not producing software, select "not applicable" (N/A). [implement_secure_design]

    The kernel and userspace tools implement "known secure design" principles.


  • Use basic good cryptographic practices

    Note that some software does not need to use cryptographic mechanisms. If your project produces software that (1) includes, activates, or enables encryption functionality, and (2) might be released from the United States (US) to outside the US or to a non-US-citizen, you may be legally required to take a few extra steps. Typically this just involves sending an email. For more information, see the encryption section of Understanding Open Source Technology & US Export Controls.

    Enough for a badge!

    The default security mechanisms within the software produced by the project MUST NOT depend on cryptographic algorithms or modes with known serious weaknesses (e.g., the SHA-1 cryptographic hash algorithm or the CBC mode in SSH). [crypto_weaknesses]

    We don't implement cryptography at the project.


    Enough for a badge!

    The project SHOULD support multiple cryptographic algorithms, so users can quickly switch if one is broken. Common symmetric key algorithms include AES, Twofish, and Serpent. Common cryptographic hash algorithm alternatives include SHA-2 (including SHA-224, SHA-256, SHA-384 AND SHA-512) and SHA-3. [crypto_algorithm_agility]

    We don't implement cryptography at the project.


    Enough for a badge!

    The project MUST support storing authentication credentials (such as passwords and dynamic tokens) and private cryptographic keys in files that are separate from other information (such as configuration files, databases, and logs), and permit users to update and replace them without code recompilation. If the project never processes authentication credentials and private cryptographic keys, select "not applicable" (N/A). [crypto_credential_agility]

    We don't implement cryptography at the project.


    Enough for a badge!

    The software produced by the project SHOULD support secure protocols for all of its network communications, such as SSHv2 or later, TLS1.2 or later (HTTPS), IPsec, SFTP, and SNMPv3. Insecure protocols such as FTP, HTTP, telnet, SSLv3 or earlier, and SSHv1 SHOULD be disabled by default, and only enabled if the user specifically configures it. If the software produced by the project does not support network communications, select "not applicable" (N/A). [crypto_used_network]

    We don't implement cryptography at the project.


    Enough for a badge!

    The software produced by the project SHOULD, if it supports or uses TLS, support at least TLS version 1.2. Note that the predecessor of TLS was called SSL. If the software does not use TLS, select "not applicable" (N/A). [crypto_tls12]

    We don't implement cryptography at the project.


    Enough for a badge!

    The software produced by the project MUST, if it supports TLS, perform TLS certificate verification by default when using TLS, including on subresources. If the software does not use TLS, select "not applicable" (N/A). [crypto_certificate_verification]

    We don't implement cryptography at the project.


    Enough for a badge!

    The software produced by the project MUST, if it supports TLS, perform certificate verification before sending HTTP headers with private information (such as secure cookies). If the software does not use TLS, select "not applicable" (N/A). [crypto_verification_private]

    We don't implement cryptography at the project.


  • Secure release


    Enough for a badge!

    The project MUST cryptographically sign releases of the project results intended for widespread use, and there MUST be a documented process explaining to users how they can obtain the public signing keys and verify the signature(s). The private key for these signature(s) MUST NOT be on site(s) used to directly distribute the software to the public. If releases are not intended for widespread use, select "not applicable" (N/A). [signed_releases]

    For the Linux Kernel, all tags for kernel releases are properly signed. We also sign tags on userspace tools. For all download source code, we maintain sha1sum and sha512sum.


    Enough for a badge!

    It is SUGGESTED that in the version control system, each important version tag (a tag that is part of a major release, minor release, or fixes publicly noted vulnerabilities) be cryptographically signed and verifiable as described in signed_releases. [version_tags_signed]

    For the Linux Kernel, all tags for kernel releases are properly signed. We also sign tags on userspace tools


  • Other security issues


    Enough for a badge!

    The project results MUST check all inputs from potentially untrusted sources to ensure they are valid (an *allowlist*), and reject invalid inputs, if there are any restrictions on the data at all. [input_validation]

    Only valid users can push things at the git trees, using cryptographic keys.


    Enough for a badge!

    Hardening mechanisms SHOULD be used in the software produced by the project so that software defects are less likely to result in security vulnerabilities. [hardening]

    The Linux kernel self protection project develops hardening improvements for the Linux kernel; many of them have already been accepted into the Linux kernel mainline: http://kernsec.org/wiki/index.php/Kernel_Self_Protection_Project There are a number of hardening mechanisms in the Linux kernel, such as Linux kernel stack protection. For userspace tools, that doesn't apply, as priviledged permission is not required.


    Enough for a badge!

    The project MUST provide an assurance case that justifies why its security requirements are met. The assurance case MUST include: a description of the threat model, clear identification of trust boundaries, an argument that secure design principles have been applied, and an argument that common implementation security weaknesses have been countered. (URL required) [assurance_case]

    We have it only for the Linux Kernel. The kernel's security requirements are constantly tested and probed by everyone in the world. When problems are found, they are resolved as quickly as possible as described in our security bugs reporting documentation: https://www.kernel.org/doc/html/latest/admin-guide/security-bugs.html


  • Static code analysis


    Enough for a badge!

    The project MUST use at least one static analysis tool with rules or approaches to look for common vulnerabilities in the analyzed language or environment, if there is at least one FLOSS tool that can implement this criterion in the selected language. [static_analysis_common_vulnerabilities]

    The tools we use check for common vulnerabilities.


  • Dynamic code analysis


    Enough for a badge!

    If the software produced by the project includes software written using a memory-unsafe language (e.g., C or C++), then at least one dynamic tool (e.g., a fuzzer or web application scanner) MUST be routinely used in combination with a mechanism to detect memory safety problems such as buffer overwrites. If the project does not produce software written in a memory-unsafe language, choose "not applicable" (N/A). [dynamic_analysis_unsafe]

    We don't run directly any fuzzer, but there are a group of Kernel developers doing that and doing periodic reports to our channels.



This data is available under the Creative Commons Attribution version 3.0 or later license (CC-BY-3.0+). All are free to share and adapt the data, but must give appropriate credit. Please credit Mauro Carvalho Chehab and the OpenSSF Best Practices badge contributors.

Project badge entry owned by: Mauro Carvalho Chehab.
Entry created on 2019-02-27 12:44:33 UTC, last updated on 2019-02-28 00:30:38 UTC. Last achieved passing badge on 2019-02-27 15:18:02 UTC.

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