Security Patch Backporting

When a security vulnerability is discovered, every minute counts. This guide shows how recommit helps you patch all versions quickly and reliably.

The Security Challenge

Security patching is uniquely challenging:

• Time pressure: Vulnerabilities need immediate fixing
• Completeness: Can't miss any supported version
• Accuracy: Mistakes can leave systems vulnerable
• Coordination: Multiple teams need to act fast

The Risk of Manual Backporting

Manual cherry-picks under pressure lead to:

• Forgotten branches
• Incorrect cherry-picks
• Merge conflicts blocking deployments
• Inconsistent patches across versions

Security Response with recommit

Streamlined Workflow

1. Vulnerability reported
         │
2. Fix developed and tested on main
         │
3. Security PR merged
         │
4. recommit automatically creates PRs for ALL versions
         │
5. Security team reviews each PR
         │
6. Merge and deploy simultaneously
         │
7. Disclose vulnerability (if applicable)

Time Comparison

Setup for Security Response

Dedicated Security Roadmap

Create a roadmap specifically for security patches:

Name: Security Backports
Branches: main; v5; v4; v3-lts; v2-lts
Cherry-pick to Default Branch: Enabled

Include ALL supported versions, even those that normally only get critical fixes.

Repository Configuration

For security-critical repositories:

1. Link to security roadmap
2. Enable auto cherry-pick
3. Test the workflow before an incident

Security Incident Response

Step-by-Step Process

Phase 1: Assess and Fix

1. Evaluate the vulnerability

   • Affected versions
   • Severity (CVSS score)
   • Attack vector

2. Develop the fix

   • Create fix on main branch
   • Write tests to prevent regression
   • Get security team review

3. Merge to main

   • Merge the security PR
   • recommit immediately starts creating backport PRs

Phase 2: Backport and Verify

4. Monitor auto-created PRs

   • Check recommit dashboard
   • All versions should have PRs within minutes

5. Review each backport

   • Verify fix is correct for that version
   • Run security tests
   • Check for conflicts

6. Resolve any conflicts

   • Prioritize by severity/user count
   • Security team should handle conflicts
   • Don't delay—every minute matters

Phase 3: Deploy and Disclose

7. Merge and deploy

   • Merge all backport PRs
   • Trigger deployments
   • Verify patches are live

8. Post-incident

   • Update security advisory
   • Notify affected users
   • Document lessons learned

Real-World Example

Scenario: Authentication Bypass Vulnerability

Situation: Security researcher reports auth bypass affecting all versions.

Your versions:

• main (development)
• v5 (current stable)
• v4 (previous stable)
• v3-lts (long-term support)
• v2-lts (legacy LTS, end-of-life soon)

Response Timeline:

Without recommit, the T+2h 15m to T+3h period would take 2+ hours longer.

Handling Security-Specific Challenges

Embargo/Coordinated Disclosure

When working under embargo:

1. Create the fix PR privately
2. Keep it unmerged until disclosure time
3. At disclosure time:
   • Merge main PR
   • recommit creates backports
   • Quickly merge all backports
   • Publish advisory

Version-Specific Vulnerabilities

If only some versions are affected:

1. Fix in the oldest affected version
2. Let recommit backport forward
3. Close PRs for unaffected versions

Complex Vulnerabilities

For vulnerabilities requiring different fixes per version:

1. Create separate PRs for each version manually
2. Or fix in main and resolve conflicts in backport PRs

Best Practices for Security

1. Test Your Workflow Before an Incident

Don't wait for a real vulnerability:

• Create a test "security fix" PR
• Verify recommit creates all backports
• Practice the review and merge process

2. Maintain Updated Branch List

Regularly update your security roadmap:

• Add new release branches
• Remove end-of-life versions
• Verify all branches exist

3. Automate Security Testing

For each backport PR:

• Run automated security scans
• Execute regression tests
• Validate the fix works on that version

4. Document Response Time

Track metrics:

• Time from report to fix merged
• Time to patch all versions
• Conflicts encountered

5. Have a Conflict Resolution Plan

Pre-assign who handles conflicts:

• Main security engineer owns resolution
• Backup person if primary unavailable
• Clear escalation path

Integration with Security Tools

Dependabot/Renovate

For dependency vulnerabilities:

1. Dependabot opens PR on main
2. Merge the update
3. recommit backports to other versions
4. Review compatibility per version

SAST/DAST Integration

Configure your security scanners to:

• Run on all backport PRs
• Block merge if issues found
• Report to security dashboard

Vulnerability Tracking

Link recommit activity to:

• CVE records
• Security advisory platforms
• Customer notification systems

Metrics and Reporting

Key Metrics to Track

Post-Incident Review

After each security incident:

• Review recommit performance
• Identify process improvements
• Update roadmap if needed

Related

• Library Versioning
• Enterprise Releases
• Conflict Resolution