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Add SECURITY.md pointing at security-model + reporting flow#8275

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Add SECURITY.md pointing at security-model + reporting flow#8275
potiuk wants to merge 2 commits into
apache:masterfrom
potiuk:add-security-md-pointing-to-model

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@potiuk potiuk commented May 26, 2026

Summary

Makes the canonical discovery chain for the security model explicit
and conventional:

AGENTS.md  ->  SECURITY.md  ->  https://hbase.apache.org/security-model/

Two files changed:

  • New SECURITY.md at the repo root — short pointer to the
    published model at https://hbase.apache.org/security-model/
    and to the security@apache.org reporting flow. Intentionally
    doesn't restate the model; the published page stays the source
    of truth.

  • AGENTS.md — Security Model section updated — previously
    linked the published page directly; now routes through
    SECURITY.md so the discovery chain is canonical. Same target
    URL on the other end.

Why

Two practical drivers:

  1. GitHub UI affordance. GitHub's "Report a vulnerability"
    link surfaces the contents of SECURITY.md at the repo root.
    Without one, well-meaning reporters file public issues or PRs
    against what they perceive as security gaps. Having a one-page
    pointer to the threat model + security@apache.org reduces
    that risk.

  2. Agent-driven security tooling discovery. The ASF Security
    team's tooling looks for threat-model references through the
    AGENTS.mdSECURITY.md → published model chain.
    Apache HBase already had the first and third pieces (the
    AGENTS.md Security Model section + the
    /security-model/ page); this commit adds the middle pointer
    so the chain is mechanically followable for anything that
    expects the conventional shape.

This is requested as part of the HBase opt-in to the ASF
Security team's coordinated scan onboarding (the May 2026
[GLASSWING] thread on private@hbase.apache.org); the
request to open this specifically came from Andrew Purtell on
that thread.

What this PR does NOT do

  • It does not change the threat model itself. The canonical
    model stays at https://hbase.apache.org/security-model/
    (sourced from hbase-website/app/pages/_landing/security-model/).
  • It does not introduce a new reporting alias. Reports
    continue to flow through security@apache.org as the published
    page already documents.
  • It does not touch the multi-paragraph navigation /
    conventions content in AGENTS.md — only the Security Model
    section's wording.

Test plan

  • Render SECURITY.md on GitHub — confirm the model link
    and security@apache.org mailto resolve.
  • Confirm GitHub's "Report a vulnerability" UI affordance
    now surfaces the contents of SECURITY.md.
  • Verify AGENTS.md Security Model section reads as a
    canonical chain (AGENTS.md → SECURITY.md → /security-model/).
  • git log --oneline -2 on the branch shows the two
    logically-separate commits (one per file) so reviewers
    can read them independently.

potiuk added 2 commits May 26, 2026 02:51
Apache HBase already has a substantive threat model published at
https://hbase.apache.org/security-model/ and AGENTS.md already
references it (Security Model section). This commit adds the
conventional GitHub-recognised SECURITY.md at the repo root so the
discoverability chain is canonical (AGENTS.md -> SECURITY.md ->
security-model page) and the standard GitHub 'Report a
vulnerability' affordance lands on the right policy text.

Per request on the Apache HBase scan-onboarding thread
([GLASSWING] HBase, May 2026).
Makes the canonical discovery chain explicit:

  AGENTS.md -> SECURITY.md -> https://hbase.apache.org/security-model/

Previously AGENTS.md linked directly to the published page, which works
for agents but skips the conventional SECURITY.md hop. With this change
SECURITY.md is the single 'where to find the model + how to report'
entry point and AGENTS.md routes through it.
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