A weakness in software, hardware, configuration, or process that an attacker could exploit to cause harm.
Vulnerabilities come from coding mistakes, design flaws, misconfigurations such as publicly exposed storage, outdated components, or weak processes like poor password policies. When a vulnerability is publicly disclosed, it is often assigned a CVE identifier and a severity rating, commonly using the Common Vulnerability Scoring System.
Vulnerability management is the ongoing process of discovering, prioritizing, fixing, and verifying weaknesses. Tools scan systems and code for known issues, while penetration testers and bug bounty researchers find new ones. Prioritization matters because large organizations may face thousands of findings; a flaw that is actively exploited and exposed to the internet deserves faster attention than one buried deep inside a network. A vulnerability unknown to the vendor is called a zero-day.
A program in which an organization rewards independent researchers for responsibly reporting security vulnerabilities in its systems.
Penetration TestingAn authorized, simulated cyberattack on a system to find and fix security weaknesses before real attackers exploit them.
Software Bill of MaterialsA detailed list, known as an SBOM, of all the components, libraries, and versions that make up a piece of software.
XSSCross-Site Scripting: a web vulnerability that lets attackers inject malicious scripts into pages viewed by other users.
Zero-DayA software vulnerability unknown to the vendor, or for which no fix exists yet, giving defenders zero days to prepare.
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