How to Read a CVE Record and NVD Entry (and the 2025 Funding Scare)
Read a CVE record and an NVD entry field by field, with a real example, and learn what the 2025 CVE funding scare and NVD backlog mean for defenders.
Vulnerabilities that matter, how they are scored and tracked, and the public databases to check them in.
3 articles
Read a CVE record and an NVD entry field by field, with a real example, and learn what the 2025 CVE funding scare and NVD backlog mean for defenders.
Two critical PHP flaws, CVE-2026-109618 and CVE-2026-109619, allow remote code execution. Fixed in 8.5.12, 8.4.27, 8.3.36, 8.2.35. What to do now.
CVE, CVSS, EPSS and KEV explained in plain language, with a Log4Shell worked example and a simple order for deciding which patches come first.
| Name | What it is |
|---|---|
| CVE Program (cve.org) | The official CVE list, run by MITRE for CISA: the ID and description for each public vulnerability. |
| NVD (NIST) | US National Vulnerability Database: CVSS scores, affected products (CPE) and weakness types for each CVE. |
| CISA KEV catalogue | Vulnerabilities known to be exploited in the wild, with remediation due dates for US federal agencies. |
| EU Vulnerability Database (ENISA) | The EU's vulnerability database, run by ENISA under the NIS2 directive. |
| FIRST EPSS | Exploit Prediction Scoring System: the daily probability that a CVE will be exploited in the next 30 days. |
| MITRE CWE | Common Weakness Enumeration: the types of flaw (such as SQL injection) behind vulnerabilities. |
| MITRE ATT&CK | Attacker tactics and techniques seen in real intrusions, for mapping what a vulnerability enables. |
| OSV.dev | Open-source vulnerability database for package ecosystems such as npm, PyPI and Go. |
| GitHub Advisory Database | Security advisories for open-source packages, linked to CVEs where they exist. |
| Aqua Vulnerability Database (AVD) | Vulnerability and misconfiguration entries for containers, cloud and Kubernetes. |