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Vulnerability disclosure policy

The department is committed to ensuring the security of the Western Australian public by protecting their information.

This policy is intended to give clear guidelines for conducting, evaluating and acting if they have found a potential security vulnerability within the information technology systems.

The following activities are not permitted against any system: 

  • denial of service (DoS/DDos) and spam 
  • social engineering (e.g. phishing) against our Department staff 
  • physical access attacks (e.g. attempting to access buildings) 
  • uploading malware, backdoors, webshells, or other ‘weaponised’ exploits that could degrade system security of affect other users 
  • attempt to access or manipulate accounts that do not belong to you (e.g. resetting passwords for other users) 
  • any attempt to modify or destroy data. 

How to report a vulnerability 

To report a vulnerability, please submit all reports to VulnerabilityDisclosure@dpird.wa.gov.au

To help address the issue as quickly as possible, your reports should: 

  • describe where the vulnerability was discovered and the potential impact of exploitation 
  • include enough detail so we can reproduce your steps. Screenshots and proof of concept code are helpful.

What happens next 

We will: 

  • respond to your report within 5 business days 
  • keep you informed throughout our internal investigation and remediation (if required) of the identified vulnerability 
  • agree on a date for public disclosure 
  • credit you as the person who discovered the vulnerability (unless you prefer to remain anonymous).