GoKawiilCurl Defends Its Own CVE Assignment Process Amid Scrutiny
The curl project explains that after becoming a CVE Numbering Authority (CNA) years ago, it now independently issues its own CVE identifiers for security flaws in its codebase, having assigned 57 so far. The maintainers describe a rigorous assessment process that grades each report as LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH, or CRITICAL, and note that some minor issues are deliberately left without a CVE if the risk of exploitation is deemed negligible.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
As a CNA, curl controls its own vulnerability disclosure pipeline without needing third-party validation, which speeds up response but also concentrates judgment calls about severity within the project itself. This self-governance model highlights a broader tension in open-source security reporting: efficiency versus independent oversight in deciding what counts as a real vulnerability.
- Curl became a CNA years ago, allowing it to self-assign CVEs without external approval.
- The project has issued 57 CVEs and grades each by severity from LOW to CRITICAL.
- Some flagged issues are intentionally not given CVEs when curl judges the practical risk too low to matter.
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Published there as: “A CVE Dispute”
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