Responsible Disclosure

Ethical and Responsible Policy for Vulnerability Detection and Crawling Services

Effective Date: February 1, 2023
Last Reviewed: October 15, 2023

1. Purpose and Objectives

Our crawling service aims to enhance global cybersecurity by identifying vulnerabilities in websites and digital infrastructures. We commit to:

  • Fostering a safer digital ecosystem for users and organizations.
  • Never exploiting, publishing, or enabling misuse of detected vulnerabilities.
  • Collaborating responsibly with system owners to resolve critical issues.
  • Promoting cybersecurity education without compromising privacy or system integrity.

2. Core Principles

  • Responsibility: Vulnerabilities are detected solely for preventive and defensive purposes.
  • Ethics: No sensitive data is stored or shared unlawfully. Public exploits or Proof of Concept (PoC) tools are neither developed nor distributed.
  • Transparency: Crawling activities are conducted with verifiable and documented methodologies.
  • Collaboration: Prioritizing partnerships with system owners for effective remediation.
  • Non-Harm: Scans are designed to avoid negative impacts on target systems' performance, availability, or integrity.

3. Service Activities

What We Do

  • Proactive Detection: Identify vulnerabilities (e.g., SQLi, XSS, misconfigurations) using non-invasive techniques.
  • Responsible Reporting: Confidentially notify system owners with structured reports, including technical details and remediation guidance.
  • Remediation Support: Offer assistance (upon request) to resolve vulnerabilities, respecting timelines and client needs.
  • Education: Share free resources (guides, webinars) to raise cybersecurity awareness.

What We Do Not Do

  • Never access systems without explicit authorization.
  • Never publish exploits, PoCs, or sensitive data.
  • Never use findings for illegal commercial gain, extortion, or unfair competition.
  • Never perform active attacks (e.g., DoS, defacement, data exfiltration).

4. Responsible Disclosure Process

  • Identification: Confirm vulnerabilities through cross-verification, minimizing false positives.
  • Private Notification: Disclose findings confidentially to system owners, with agreed timelines (e.g., 90 days for patching).
  • Coordination: Assist in remediation, including post-fix validation.
  • Public Disclosure: Only if authorized or after resolution, without exploitable details.

5. Ethical Guidelines

  • Data Minimization: Collect only essential data, stored securely and encrypted.
  • Implicit/Explicit Consent: Respect robots.txt and opt-out requests. Formal authorization is required for in-depth scans.
  • Legal Compliance: Adhere to GDPR, NIS2 Directive, and other relevant laws.
  • Accountability: Conduct periodic audits to ensure alignment with ISO 27001 and OWASP best practices.

6. Community Engagement

  • Partnerships with Ethical Researchers: Support bug bounty programs and CVE (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures) initiatives.
  • Open Dialogue: Maintain dedicated channels for feedback from users and experts.

7. Enforcement and Controls

Policy violations by employees or partners result in disciplinary action, up to contract termination.

Independent bi-annual audits verify compliance with ISO 27001 and industry standards.

8. Continuous Improvement

This policy is regularly updated to reflect:

  • Technological advancements (e.g., AI, emerging threats).
  • Feedback from stakeholders and cybersecurity experts.
  • Changes in relevant regulations.

Contact Information

Ethical Reporting Contact: [email protected]

Policy Owner: Mark White, Chief Security Officer