Backport vuln fixes || EOL n - k

2025年11月13日 14:46:31 -0800

Elsethread we have been asked to backport a CVE fix for [llang] v2. I
think the following is a fair expectation for users to have, which we are
not really providing today.
(*) Security fixes will be provided for all components supported by Commons
and integrating the fixes will not require client code changes.
This is the normal expectation for software patching. CVE -> patch release
-> update build -> exposure gone / scanning tools happy.
The key to making good on this commitment is to be clear on what
"supported" means. Given our limited resources, I think it makes sense to
generally limit support to the latest major version (allowing for some
overlap, but not perpetual). That means that when we move to a new major
release line, at some point, we VOTE and announce EOL for n - 1 (with say a
year's notice). In some cases, we may decide to support n - 1 for more
than a year, but I think we need clear labeling.
To be clear, I think we *are* doing a good job of addressing
vulnerabilities in current versions and the "fixes will not require client
code changes" part of (*) is hard to satisfy. Many (most?) libraries don't
fully satisfy it. But given how deeply our components nest in dependency
chains, I think it is a *good idea* for us to use EOL announcements to push
upstream upgrades so it is less likely that we will be asked to backport
patches to 14-year-old component versions.
Phil

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