The Top Benefits of Using CVE-Compatible Products and Services
The CVE (Critical Vulnerability Exposure) catalog lists publicly known cybersecurity vulnerabilities. A vulnerability is a weakness in software code that allows attackers to gain unwarranted access to system or network assets. CVE assigns each vulnerability a unique, formal name, which enables rapid data correlation across information sources such as NVD, CERT, and UpGuard.
Improved Visibility
CVE-compatible products and services are valuable to any organization’s cybersecurity posture. One of the benefits of CVE-compatible products and services is that it allows you to gain faster insight into vulnerabilities affecting your system or application. This helps you plan for mitigation strategies and cultivate secure coding practices. The CVE system is a set of standards that assigns a common identifier to software-related security vulnerabilities. This standardized approach makes it easier for security administrators to access technical information about specific threats in different CVE-compatible information sources. It also allows consistency when discussing vulnerabilities with other security vendors and professionals. A vulnerability is a weakness in computer software that can allow nefarious parties to exploit the system, leading to unauthorized access or data breaches. Misconfigurations, design flaws, or human error can cause these weaknesses. By standardizing how vulnerability and exposure information is presented, CVE improves visibility across various systems and applications, acting as a cybersecurity dictionary. When a vulnerability is added to the CVE list, it is approved. This involves the CVE Editor, who reviews the candidate and decides whether to accept or reject it. The review includes an opportunity for the CVE Board to post any comments or objections before the Editor casts a final decision. If the candidate is accepted, it will be assigned a CVE number and a description of its impact on security (e.g., whether it is a local or remote vulnerability).
Improved Interoperability
In an environment of microservices and open-source frameworks, interoperability is critical. With it, applications can communicate and transmit data with each other in a meaningful way. CVE addresses this need by providing a standardized method for naming vulnerabilities, allowing security tools to compare and connect information about specific threats. A CVE identifier is unique to each threat and consists of a three-letter acronym followed by a four-digit year representing the time when the vulnerability was made public. Each identifier also includes relevant information about the threat, including the product and vendor affected, what versions are impacted, and how the vulnerability can be exploited. This information helps security administrators compare and contrast the different products and services they use, making it easier to determine the most appropriate for their security needs. It also helps them direct their security advisories to the appropriate vendors, ensuring that they promptly correct or mitigate the vulnerability. The CVE naming standard helps reduce the need for complex and time-consuming patching, ultimately leading to a more efficient and effective cybersecurity posture.
Reduced Costs
The CVE naming standard allows organizations to reduce costs by sharing vulnerability information with other cybersecurity tools that have been reviewed for CVE compatibility. This helps to ensure that organizations have a common baseline of vulnerability data for comparison purposes and to find the best tools for their specific needs. Each CVE entry contains a standard identifier number, status indicator, short description, and references to related vulnerability reports and advisories. This helps security administrators track vulnerabilities and exposures across various products, systems, and networks to understand their cybersecurity risk posture better. Vulnerabilities are discovered by researchers, security experts, or vendors using manual analysis, automated tools, or bug bounties. These flaws are then added to the CVE database via a process that involves contacting the vendor or project responsible for the affected software or hardware system and sharing the vulnerability. Once a vulnerability is added to the CVE database, each product impacted by that particular weakness gets a unique CVE ID. This includes open-source libraries, protocols, and standards shared by multiple vendors and the products they are included in. The CVE list also encourages the public sharing of vulnerability information. This helps to improve security by allowing other companies and organizations to learn from each other’s mistakes and avoid repeating them in their systems.
Improved Security
The CVE catalog is a centralized repository of public cybersecurity vulnerabilities, making it easier for vendors and end-users to track and prioritize flaws. The program uses a standard naming convention for each vulnerability, which makes it easy to identify them in different tools and databases. Vulnerabilities are the root cause of many significant security breaches and compromises, so it’s essential to identify and manage them effectively. CVE-compatible products and services make it easier for organizations to prioritize, understand, and address these weaknesses. A vulnerability is a flaw in software code that cyberattackers could exploit to gain unauthorized access to systems and networks, install different types of malware, or expose sensitive data. Simple misconfigurations can cause vulnerabilities to design flaws, which can occur in open-source and proprietary software. When a vulnerability is discovered, researchers and white-hat hackers often report it to the CVE catalog. The vulnerability information is then assigned a CVE identifier and shared with the cybersecurity community. The CVE Numbering Authority (CNA) process also makes the information available to vendors.
