Researcher FAQ
Can I participate anonymously?
You are welcome to participate anonymously by creating an account without any personally identifiable information. Only your chosen display name will appear within the case discussion, which means that your first and last name will not appear anywhere. To assist with anonymity, we suggest creating a VINCE account with a disposable or temporary email address and use a pseudonym for your display name.
Will the vendor know who I am?
The vendor and any other participant in the case will only be able to see the display name you choose when you create the VINCE account. This name can be changed at any time from the in Profile page.
What happens to reports submitted anonymously (i.e., without being linked to a VINCE account)?
Because a VINCE account is required in order to access case files, you will be unable to participate in the coordination process for reports that are not associated with a VINCE account. It is possible to create a VINCE account after submitting your report, which will grant access your initial report (and the ensuing coordination activities) as long as the email address listed on the report is the same as the one used to create the VINCE account.
What should I do if a vendor is not responding?
If a vendor is unresponsive, CERT/CC will attempt to elicit participation from the vendor, but CERT/CC can coordinate disclosure and publish a Vulnerability Note without the vendor's involvement.
What do the various case statuses mean?
The report status will be "pending" when you initially submit your vulnerability report. The status will change to "open" once we accept the report for coordination and assign an associated VU# tracking number. "Closed" indicates that CERT/CC has either not accepted the report for coordination, or coordination is complete. "Published" means that CERT/CC has published a vulnerability note associated with the case to kb.cert.org.
How can I add information to my submitted vulnerability report?
You can edit your initial vulnerability report until we have accepted or declined the report for coordination. Once the status of your initial vulnerability report leaves the "pending" status, you will be unable to edit your report. If you need to provide CERT/CC with more information, you can add a comment to the vulnerability report, post in the open case discussion, or send CERT/CC a direct private message.
How do I ask CERT/CC to reconsider a closed case?
You can add a comment to the closed VRF# report with any additional information that you think is relevant for reconsideration, including new vulnerability details or a change in vendor cooperation.
Will CERT/CC give me a CVE ID?
CERT/CC may assign CVEs to vulnerabilities that we actively coordinate, but typically only after vendor(s) have declined to do so. Reporters may always request a CVE ID by contacting the CVE Program directly using cveform.mitre.org, so if you are attempting to obtain a CVE ID for your report, we suggest starting there.
Can I add another researcher/reporter to a current case?
If another researcher should be added to the case, please send CERT/CC a direct private message with the user's VINCE account information, including the email address.
Who else can see my report?
If CERT/CC accepts the vulnerability report for coordination, any participant added to the case (including vendors) will be able to see your initial report.
What should I do if a reporter is not responding/participating?
If a reporter is not participating in the case, CERT/CC will do our best to encourage them to respond to your questions. What else?
What should I do if a vendor is not responding?
If a vendor is not participating in the case, CERT/CC will do our best to encourage them to respond but we will plan to publish a vulnerability note with or without their involvement.