What is a CVE?
CVE (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures) is a system for identifying and cataloging publicly known cybersecurity vulnerabilities. Each CVE entry contains a unique identifier (CVE ID), a description, and references to related information. The system is maintained by the MITRE Corporation.
CVE ID Format
CVE IDs follow the format CVE-YYYY-NNNNN:
| CVE ID | Name | Affected Software |
|---|---|---|
| CVE-2021-44228 | Log4Shell | Apache Log4j |
| CVE-2017-0144 | EternalBlue | Windows SMB |
| CVE-2014-0160 | Heartbleed | OpenSSL |
| CVE-2024-3094 | XZ Backdoor | XZ Utils |
| CVE-2023-48795 | Terrapin | SSH protocol |
CVE Lifecycle
- Discovery — a vulnerability is found by a researcher or vendor
- Assignment — a CVE Numbering Authority (CNA) assigns a CVE ID
- Publication — details are published in the NVD (National Vulnerability Database)
- Patch — the vendor releases a fix
- Remediation — users apply the patch to affected systems
CVE and CVSS
Each CVE is typically scored using CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System) to indicate severity:
| Score Range | Severity | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 9.0 – 10.0 | Critical | Log4Shell (10.0) |
| 7.0 – 8.9 | High | Terrapin (5.9 initially, re-scored) |
| 4.0 – 6.9 | Medium | Various info disclosures |
| 0.1 – 3.9 | Low | Minor issues |
Search on Zondex
Use the cve: filter to find hosts affected by specific CVEs:
cve:CVE-2021-44228— find hosts vulnerable to Log4Shellcve:CVE-2024-3094— find hosts with XZ backdoorcvss:>=9.0— find hosts with critical-severity vulnerabilitiescve.count:>5— find hosts with many known CVEs