CVE
InformationalCommon Vulnerabilities and Exposures
Definition
CVE (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures) is a unique, standardized identification system for publicly known security vulnerabilities. Each vulnerability receives a CVE-YEAR-NUMBER identifier (for example, CVE-2021-44228 for Log4Shell). It is maintained by MITRE Corporation and is the global standard for referencing vulnerabilities.
Impact
Unambiguous identification of vulnerabilities globallyCoordination between security teams and vendorsBasis for patches and security updatesRemediation prioritization with the associated CVSSReference in bug bounty reports and audits
Examples
Famous CVEs in security history
Some historic CVEs: CVE-2021-44228 (Log4Shell) enabled RCE on millions of Java servers. CVE-2017-5638 (Apache Struts) caused the Equifax breach. CVE-2014-0160 (Heartbleed) exposed the memory of OpenSSL servers. Each one changed the security industry.