Digital Risk Protection

What is Vulnerability Intelligence ?

Vulnerability intelligence is information about software flaws used to prioritize patching. Learn where it comes from and how CVE, CVSS and CWE fit in.

Updated 4 Min Read
What is Vulnerability Intelligence

Vulnerability intelligence is information about flaws in software and systems, including the type of flaw, how it can be exploited and which products are affected. Organizations use vulnerability intelligence to decide what to patch first and to spot new ways attackers could reach them. It comes from vendor advisories, public databases and dark web forums.

Vulnerability is defined as a flaw or weakness in system security that could be exploited to carry out a damaging attack. In order to better understand vulnerabilities, it is important to also understand the components of a system that could be exploited. These components are known as “points of entry” and include things like open ports, unpatched software, and weak passwords.

Attackers will often use automated tools to scan for these vulnerable points of entry in order to find systems that they can exploit. Once they have found a vulnerable system, they will then use their own skills and tools to try and gain access to the system and its data.

What is CVE ?

The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) system provides a reference-style identification number for publicly known information security vulnerabilities. CVE Entries are used in numerous cybersecurity products and services from around the world, including the US National Vulnerability Database (NVD).

What is CVSS ?

The Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) is a free and open industry standard for assessing the severity of computer system security vulnerabilities. CVSS provides a way to capture the principal characteristics of a vulnerability and produce a numerical score reflecting its severity. These scores can then be used to determine which vulnerabilities pose the greatest risk to an organization.

What Is the Difference Between CVE and CWE ?

CVE is a list of known vulnerabilities with assigned identifiers. CWE is a classification scheme for different types of software security weakness.

What is Vulnerability Intelligence ?

Vulnerability intelligence is information about vulnerabilities in software and systems that can be used to help organizations protect themselves from attacks. This information can include details about the vulnerability, such as the type of flaw and how it can be exploited, as well as information about which products are affected.

Organizations can use vulnerability intelligence to prioritize their security efforts and patching schedule, as well as to identify new attack vectors that could be used against them. Vulnerability intelligence can be sourced from a variety of sources, including vendor advisories, public databases, and dark web forums.

Where vulnerability intelligence comes from
Vulnerability intelligenceUsed to prioritize and patch
  • Vendor advisoriesNotices from the product maker
  • Public databasesRecords such as CVE entries
  • Dark web forumsEarly signs of new threats

Organizations should ensure that they have a comprehensive vulnerability management program in place that includes regular scanning and patching, as well as processes for monitoring and responding to new threats.

What is The Importance of Vulnerability Intelligence ?

Vulnerability intelligence is critical for organizations to protect themselves from cyberattacks. By knowing what vulnerabilities exist, and which systems are affected, organizations can take steps to mitigate the risks posed by these threats.

Vulnerability intelligence can also help organizations to identify new attack vectors that could be used against them.

What does BRANDEFENSE Vulnerability Intelligence do ?

Brandefense Vulnerability Intelligence service provides early alerts before the vulnerability gets trend. This allows system administrators and IT decision makers to remediate the issue before attackers can exploit it.

The Brandefense security research team continuously tracks new vulnerabilities, lurking in the wild and informing customers about potential threats. The advantage of having a service like this is that you don’t have to worry about keeping track of every single bug – we do that for you and send out alerts as soon as a threat is identified.

What are The Benefits of Vulnerability Intelligence ?

There are many benefits of vulnerability intelligence, including:

  • Helping organizations prioritize their security efforts
  • Allowing organizations to identify new attack vectors
  • Providing early warnings about potential threats
  • Enabling organizations to respond quickly to new threats

Frequently Asked Questions.

What is vulnerability intelligence?

It is information about vulnerabilities in software and systems that helps organizations protect themselves from attacks, including the type of flaw, how it can be exploited and which products are affected.

What is the difference between CVE and CWE?

CVE identifies specific vulnerabilities in specific products. CWE lists the types of weakness, such as improper input validation, that can lead to many such vulnerabilities.

What does CVSS measure?

CVSS captures the main characteristics of a vulnerability and produces a numerical score reflecting its severity, which helps organizations prioritize.

How do organizations use vulnerability intelligence to prioritize patching?

They use it to see which flaws and products matter most. CISA advises using its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog as an input to a prioritization framework.

Sources

  1. 1 FIRST: Common Vulnerability Scoring System
  2. 2 MITRE CWE: FAQ
  3. 3 CISA: Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog