diff --git a/documentation/ref-manual/classes.rst b/documentation/ref-manual/classes.rst index 1880e44486..cce0269b9a 100644 --- a/documentation/ref-manual/classes.rst +++ b/documentation/ref-manual/classes.rst @@ -412,13 +412,61 @@ discussion on these cross-compilation tools. ===================== The :ref:`cve-check ` class looks for known CVEs (Common Vulnerabilities -and Exposures) while building an image. This class is meant to be +and Exposures) while building with BitBake. This class is meant to be inherited globally from a configuration file:: INHERIT += "cve-check" +To filter out obsolete CVE database entries which are known not to impact software from Poky and OE-Core, +add following line to the build configuration file:: + + include cve-extra-exclusions.inc + You can also look for vulnerabilities in specific packages by passing -``-c cve_check`` to BitBake. You will find details in the +``-c cve_check`` to BitBake. + +After building the software with Bitbake, CVE check output reports are available in ``tmp/deploy/cve`` +and image specific summaries in ``tmp/deploy/images/*.cve`` or ``tmp/deploy/images/*.json`` files. + +When building, the CVE checker will emit build time warnings for any detected +issues which are in the state ``Unpatched``, meaning that CVE issue seems to affect the software component +and version being compiled and no patches to address the issue are applied. Other states +for detected CVE issues are: ``Patched`` meaning that a patch to address the issue is already +applied, and ``Ignored`` meaning that the issue can be ignored. + +The ``Patched`` state of a CVE issue is detected from patch files with the format +``CVE-ID.patch``, e.g. ``CVE-2019-20633.patch``, in the :term:`SRC_URI` and using +CVE metadata of format ``CVE: CVE-ID`` in the commit message of the patch file. + +If the recipe lists the ``CVE-ID`` in :term:`CVE_CHECK_IGNORE` variable, then the CVE state is reported +as ``Ignored``. Multiple CVEs can be listed separated by spaces. Example:: + + CVE_CHECK_IGNORE += "CVE-2020-29509 CVE-2020-29511" + +If CVE check reports that a recipe contains false positives or false negatives, these may be +fixed in recipes by adjusting the CVE product name using :term:`CVE_PRODUCT` and :term:`CVE_VERSION` variables. +:term:`CVE_PRODUCT` defaults to the plain recipe name :term:`BPN` which can be adjusted to one or more CVE +database vendor and product pairs using the syntax:: + + CVE_PRODUCT = "flex_project:flex" + +where ``flex_project`` is the CVE database vendor name and ``flex`` is the product name. Similarly +if the default recipe version :term:`PV` does not match the version numbers of the software component +in upstream releases or the CVE database, then the :term:`CVE_VERSION` variable can be used to set the +CVE database compatible version number, for example:: + + CVE_VERSION = "2.39" + +Any bugs or missing or incomplete information in the CVE database entries should be fixed in the CVE database +via the `NVD feedback form `__. + +Users should note that security is a process, not a product, and thus also CVE checking, analyzing results, +patching and updating the software should be done as a regular process. The data and assumptions +required for CVE checker to reliably detect issues are frequently broken in various ways. +These can only be detected by reviewing the details of the issues and iterating over the generated reports, +and following what happens in other Linux distributions and in the greater open source community. + +You will find some more details in the ":ref:`dev-manual/common-tasks:checking for vulnerabilities`" section in the Development Tasks Manual.