Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) Explained

Businesses today face an unprecedented level of risk from cybersecurity attacks and data breaches, often resulting in substantial financial damages. These threats stem from vulnerabilities and exposures within computer systems, making it imperative for organizations to understand and address these risks.

A CVE (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures), is a standardized identifier assigned to a known security vulnerability in software, including open source software. The CVE system is maintained by the MITRE Corporation and provides a way to uniquely identify and track vulnerabilities across different information security databases and tools. 

A vulnerability can be described as a flaw or weakness in computer systems or software that unintentionally grants unauthorized access to users. Exploiting vulnerabilities allows attackers to execute destructive actions, such as installing malware or gaining unauthorized access to sensitive information.

On the other hand, exposure refers to a misconfiguration that provides attackers access to a computer system or its stored data. For instance, a loosely secured cloud storage system may permit unauthorized access to sensitive data, or an open network port on a server can be exploited by command and control malware.

It’s crucial to recognize exposures as vulnerabilities actively targeted and exploited by attackers.