In addition to the Community Code of Conduct, Certified Contributors are bound by the following Professional Code of Conduct.
Certified contributors are held to a high standard in creating a collegiate and objective atmosphere designed to empower each individual to do their best work and create a culture where learning and personal growth are top priorities. While C4 contests are highly competitive, we are a collaborative community working together to help each other become the best version of ourselves and to help sponsor projects become more secure.
It is our individual and collective responsibility to contribute to an environment that helps each contributor feel welcomed and respected. We do not merely want an environment that is free from hostility; we want one that is warm, actively welcoming, and inclusive. Working as a certified contributor means agreeing to abide by these standards in order to create a safe, comfortable, and high quality environment for everyone.
This code of conduct applies to all Code4rena spaces, and in any communication with employees of C4 and its affiliates, contractors, sponsors, or Code4rena community members—both online and off.
At the discretion of community moderators, any person who violates this code of conduct may be subject to suspension or revocation of their certified status or removal from the community altogether.
In addition to contributing to a positive atmosphere, certified contributors are expected to:
Conduct one’s self in an ethical manner when performing security research or disclosing vulnerabilities—both within C4 contests and outside C4.
Refrain from using sybils in C4 contests or channels and from any other attempt to circumvent the intent of C4 contest incentives and guidelines.
Take an objective, collegial, and intellectually open tone in considering and discussing all findings.
Treat other contributors, wardens, sponsors, and their work with respect and an assumption of positive intent.
Confidentiality: Treat the contents of ALL submissions as private and confidential until the contest report is made public.
Ethics: State any conflicts of interest or unfair advantages in contests and either recuse yourself or declare your ineligibility and forfeiture of awards.
Constructive contribution: Accept that the process is human and therefore imperfect, and take an attitude of blameless postmortems; rather than attempting to retroactively ‘fix’ a result you did not agree with, find ways the process can be improved which will lead to better results in the future.
Respectful discussion: Avoid engaging in any discussion and evaluation of issues submitted by yourself except to answer a question or provide additional context or clarification when requested by a judge or sponsor.
Respect your privileged access and position within C4 and avoid using this position against the competitive interests of C4.
Respect judges’ decisions as final.
Contributors are encouraged wherever possible to first go directly to someone you feel to be in violation and kindly provide them with feedback. If additional support is necessary, you may report violations of this Code of Conduct to a judge or C4 moderator so C4 can take any necessary steps. Reports will be handled by C4 moderators or their designees. If the person implicated is a moderator, that person will excuse themselves from handling your incident. Moderators will respond as promptly as they reasonable can. Reporting should be private and not done via public discussion in any online or physical space. This Code of Conduct applies to Code4rena online and physical spaces. All good-faith reports will be taken seriously. This may include behavior outside Code4rena spaces in instances where behavior crosses an ethical line. Moderators reserve the right to reject any report they believe to have been made in bad faith. Reports intended to silence legitimate criticism may be ignored without response.