CVE (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures)

CVE (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures) is an international standard for identifying publicly known security vulnerabilities. Each vulnerability is assigned a unique identifier in the format CVE-YYYY-NNNNN.

CVE Format

• CVE — prefix
• YYYY — year of discovery
• NNNNN — unique number

Example: CVE-2021-44228 (Log4Shell)

Important Databases

• NVD (National Vulnerability Database)
• MITRE CVE List
• CVE Details

CVSS Score

Each CVE has a criticality rating on the CVSS scale:

• 0.0 — no risk
• 0.1-3.9 — low
• 4.0-6.9 — medium
• 7.0-8.9 — high
• 9.0-10.0 — critical