What is a CVE?

A CVE (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures) is a public, standardized identifier assigned to a known software security vulnerability.
Each CVE describes a specific vulnerability—such as a configuration flaw, a code error, or a protocol weakness—that can be exploited by an attacker.

The CVE system was created in 1999 by the MITRE Corporation, in collaboration with CISA (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency) and the international cybersecurity community.
It enables the effective cataloging, classification, and reporting of vulnerabilities worldwide.

In practice, a CVE looks like this:
CVE-2024-21410 — a unique identifier associated with a specific vulnerability, documented in a public database.

What is a CVE used for?

The main objective of the CVE program is to facilitate communication and coordination among cybersecurity stakeholders: software vendors, researchers, CERTs, CISOs, SOCs, and security solution providers.

Each CVE allows you to:

• Unambiguously identify a given vulnerability.

• Promptly notify the affected users and publishers.

• Track the progress of the associated fix or patch.

• Prioritize corrective actions based on severity.

CVEs serve as a common language between security teams, vulnerability management tools (scanners, SIEM, SOC), and security monitoring authorities (ANSSI, CERT-FR, ENISA, CISA).

How Does a Vulnerability Become a CVE?

When a researcher or publisher discovers a vulnerability, they submit it to a CVE Numbering Authority (CNA) —an organization authorized by MITRE to validate and register new entries.
Once validated, the vulnerability receives a unique identifier and a public description that includes:

• The CVE identifier (e.g., CVE-2025-12345)

• Technical Description of the Fault

• The affected products or versions

• Operating Conditions

• Links to available fixes or workarounds

This information is then incorporated into databases such as the National Vulnerability Database (NVD), where it is supplemented with a CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System) score to measure its severity.

The Role of CVEs in Vulnerability Management

In an operational cybersecurity framework, CVE management is a key process.
It enables organizations to:

• Map their known vulnerabilities across their assets.

• Assess treatment priorities based on severity scores.

• Follow the fixes recommended by the publishers.

• Automate detection and monitoring using SOC and SIEM tools.

At ITrust, CVE identifiers are integrated into our detection and monitoring solutions to correlate security events with known vulnerabilities and anticipate the risk of exploitation.

Real-world example: How is a CVE exploited?

Let's consider a real-world scenario.
A critical vulnerability affects an outdated version of a web server. This vulnerability, listed as CVE-2024-6387, allows a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code.
If left unpatched, it can be exploited to compromise the entire server.
ITrust’s Blue Team then detects exploitation attempts by monitoring the signatures and behaviors associated with this CVE and immediately initiates a containment and remediation procedure.

This example illustrates the fundamental role of CVEs: to provide accurate insight into known threats and enable a rapid, coordinated response.

CVE, CVSS, and CPE: Complementary Concepts

• CVE: a unique identifier for a vulnerability.

• CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System): a standardized severity rating (from 0 to 10).

• CPE (Common Platform Enumeration): a format for identifying the relevant products.

These three standards work together to provide a comprehensive view of risk.
For example, a CVE-2025-XXXX vulnerability with a CVSS score of 9.8 affecting a given CPE would indicate a critical vulnerability requiring immediate remediation.