What is CVE in Cybersecurity?

Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) is a database of public information on security issues. A CVE number identifies one vulnerability from that list. CVE provides a reliable way for vendors, enterprises, academics, and many other companies to exchange information about cybersecurity issues. It breaks down cybersecurity vulnerabilities that could affect you and your employees.

CVE has been managed and maintained by the National Cybersecurity Federally Funded Research and Development Center, operated by the MITRE Corporation, since 1999. The MITRE Corporation has compiled a list of common cybersecurity vulnerabilities and made them available to the public. Any company or organization can share or obtain information about these vulnerabilities from the CVE to optimize its security controls.

What Does the CVE Do

CVE was created to help organizations with IT infrastructures stay up-to-date with any and all security threats identified across the broader cybersecurity community. By collecting all the threats from across the globe, the CVE is a centralized repository for vulnerability management. Companies can learn about previously identified threats and optimize security controls based on them. 

How CVEs are Determined

Through the CVE Program, issues are considered a vulnerability if they violate the security policy governing the product or service. Once a complaint is received, only then is the vulnerability considered for the CVE list. If the CVE Numbering Authority (CNA) reviewing the CVE request finds that the vulnerability or exposure is not legitimate, the CVE will not be considered and registered within the database.

The Difference Between Vulnerability vs Exposure

In CVE and cybersecurity, a vulnerability is a gap in security controls that a cyber attacker can exploit to deploy an attack. On the other end, exposure is a specific event you may or may not know about that gives an attacker the upper hand to successfully launch an attack on your IT infrastructure. 

One way to distinguish the two closely related terms is through proximity. While vulnerabilities are mostly internal and specific to your IT infrastructure, exposures involve external events that can impact that infrastructure.

Be Prepared for Vulnerabilities with PacGenesis

With vulnerability management, your organization should be prepared to understand vulnerabilities and their potential impact on your business. It’s crucial to learn how best these vulnerabilities and exposures can be managed from threats. At PacGenesis, we have over 10 years working in cybersecurity with businesses from all different fields and industries to protect their information from cyber attackers. We work to connect you with top cybersecurity providers that we partner with. They work to assess factors that determine CVEs and how to manage them. Contact us today to help us learn more about your business needs.
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