What is CVE:
- CVE stands for Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures. It is a standardized system used to identify publicly known cybersecurity vulnerabilities.
- CVE is a list of unique identifiers (called CVE IDs) assigned to publicly disclosed security vulnerabilities in software, hardware, and firmware.
- Each CVE ID provides a standardized reference that security professionals, researchers, and organizations can use to discuss and share data about a specific vulnerability consistently.
- The CVE catalogue is more like a dictionary than a CVE database. It provides one name and one description for each vulnerability or exposure. In doing so, it enables communication between disparate tools and databases and helps improve interoperability and security coverage
Why CVE is required:
The purpose of CVE is to ensure that information about newly discovered or modified security vulnerabilities remains up-to-date and useful for organization, security vendors, security products and software.
Please find below main purpose of CVE updates:
- Identify and track Vulnerabilities Consistently
Each CVE provides a unique identifier (CVE ID) for a specific security vulnerability.
CVE updates ensure that this identifier consistently refers to the correct issue, even if new details emerge.
- Provide Updated and Accurate Information
Vulnerabilities may be re-evaluated over time and new impact assessments, affected products, or fixes may appear.
CVE updates revise descriptions, severity scores (CVSS), and references to reflect current knowledge.
- Improve Security Response and Patching
Updated CVEs help organizations prioritize and apply patches quickly.
Security teams rely on the latest CVE data to manage risk effectively.
- Enable Better Threat Intelligence and Correlation
Many tools (SIEMs, vulnerability scanners, patch managers) use CVE data.
Keeping CVEs updated ensures these tools provide accurate alerts and reports.
- Compliance and Reporting
Many compliance frameworks (e.g., PCI-DSS, ISO 27001) require organizations to track and mitigate vulnerabilities by CVE ID.
- Risk Prioritization
Each CVE typically has a CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System) score that indicates how severe it is.
SIEM products like QRadar also use these scores to prioritize alerts, highlight critical assets at risk, and focus response efforts on the most dangerous vulnerabilities.
Sources of CVE:
CVEs are assigned by organizations authorized by MITRE Corporation and CISA (U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency).
These are called CVE Numbering Authorities (CNAs).
Please find few major sources for CVE data.
- MITRE Corporation(CVE.org) – Oversees the CVE Program and assigns IDs for many general vulnerabilities.
- CISA (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency) - Assigns CVEs for U.S. government-related systems and ICS (Industrial Control Systems).
- NVD (National Vulnerability Database) – This is managed by National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
National Vulnerability Database(NVD)
Reference: https://nvd.nist.gov/
- It’s a U.S. government–maintained repository that provides information about publicly known cybersecurity vulnerabilities.
- The NVD, managed by NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) in the U.S., takes the basic CVE records from MITRE’s CVE List and adds extra analysis and metadata to make them more useful for security professionals.
- NVD enriches CVE data with CVSS scores, impact metrics, CVE metadata and references.
- NVD provide full metrics of all information related to CVE with current status of the CVE.
- The NVD publishes new CVEs and updates existing ones on a daily basis.
Example:
For example, CVE-2023-23397 (a Microsoft Outlook vulnerability) in the NVD includes:
- Description of the flaw and attack vector.
- CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.8 (Critical).
- CPE entries for specific Outlook versions.
- Links to Microsoft’s patch and advisories.
Please find below sample CVE reference received from NVD.
{
"cve": {
"id": "CVE-2025-62527",
"sourceIdentifier": "security-advisories@github.com",
"published": "2025-10-20T20:15:37.573",
"lastModified": "2025-10-30T17:00:06.013",
"vulnStatus": "Analyzed",
"cveTags": [],
"descriptions": [
{
"lang": "en",
"value": "Taguette is an open source qualitative research tool. An issue has been discovered in Taguette versions prior to 1.5.0. It was possible for an attacker to request password reset email containing a malicious link, allowing the attacker to set the email if clicked by the victim. This issue has been patched in version 1.5.0."
}
],
"metrics": {
"cvssMetricV31": [
{
"source": "security-advisories@github.com",
"type": "Secondary",
"cvssData": {
"version": "3.1",
"vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:N",
"attackVector": "NETWORK",
"attackComplexity": "LOW",
"privilegesRequired": "NONE",
"userInteraction": "REQUIRED",
"scope": "UNCHANGED",
"confidentialityImpact": "HIGH",
"integrityImpact": "LOW",
"availabilityImpact": "NONE",
"baseScore": 7.1,
"baseSeverity": "HIGH"
},
"exploitabilityScore": 2.8,
"impactScore": 4.2
}
]
},
"weaknesses": [
{
"source": "security-advisories@github.com",
"type": "Primary",
"description": [
{
"lang": "en",
"value": "CWE-15"
}
]
}
],
"configurations": [
{
"nodes": [
{
"operator": "OR",
"negate": false,
"cpeMatch": [
{
"vulnerable": true,
"criteria": "cpe:2.3:a:taguette:taguette:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
"versionEndIncluding": "1.5.0",
"matchCriteriaId": "1B5838E2-2351-49D8-9FFA-B7A2A99E9DD3"
}
]
}
]
}
],
"references": [
{
"url": "https://github.com/remram44/taguette/security/advisories/GHSA-7rc8-5c8q-jr6j",
"source": "security-advisories@github.com",
"tags": [
"Issue Tracking",
"Vendor Advisory"
]
},
{
"url": "https://gitlab.com/remram44/taguette/-/issues/331",
"source": "security-advisories@github.com",
"tags": [
"Issue Tracking",
"Vendor Advisory"
]
}
]
}
}
CVE Metadata:
CVE has following importance details associated.
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CVE ID
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Unique identifier of CVE (CVE-2025-12345)
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Description/Summary
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A short text explaining the vulnerability what’s affected, and what the flaw is.
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Metrics
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CVSS v2/v3.x metrics which contains CVSS score and severity of the CVE. This also includes vector string for the CVE which covers all metrics information in single string.
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References
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This includes URLs to vendor advisories, patches, bug reports, or external analyses.
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CPE
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Common Platform Enumeration identifiers for affected products, versions, and OS.
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Published/Modified Dates
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When the CVE was first released and last updated.
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The Importance of CVEs in Strengthening Organizational Cybersecurity
CVEs are foundation of vulnerability management.
Without them, organizations would struggle to track, prioritize, and remediate security flaws efficiently which leaving systems open to attack.
Please find below benefits of CVE in strengthening cybersecurity.
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Standardization
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Everyone talks about vulnerabilities in the same language (CVE IDs).
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Prioritization
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CVSS scores enable smart, risk-based patching. Security teams use this to prioritize patching addressing the most severe risks first.
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Automation
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SIEM systems (like QRadar, Elastic) enrich alerts with CVE details.
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Threat Awareness
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CVE feeds link to exploit databases and intelligence reports.
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Compliance
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Supports regulatory and audit readiness.
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Faster Response
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Enables quick identification and communication during incidents.
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References:
https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/cve
https://nvd.nist.gov/developers/vulnerabilities