Your organization has a well-planned security strategy. The perimeter and devices are protected. End users are trained. Critical data is safeguarded. With the immense effort and expense of securing an environment, why would anyone still leave the metaphorical front door open to known vulnerabilities? The ease of use of the MITRE Corporation’s publicly available CVE (common vulnerabilities and exposures) database makes it easy to identify cracked doors to your network. CVEs can also be used to compare how stable different technology solutions are.
What is a CVE?
A CVE is a known software flaw accompanied by a description and an ID number. The goal of the CVE database is to provide a readily available list of cybersecurity vulnerabilities for organizations to reference and ultimately patch. However, the list itself does not offer information on fixes, risks or impacts. CVEs are all about awareness of detection vulnerabilities.
The Impact of Unpatched CVEs
Every CVE needs to be patched. Patching requires planning resources and scheduled downtime. It can be very time-consuming and expensive when there are a considerable number. The front door is left open and security plans are undermined when CVEs are not patched quickly. Ultimately, the more unpatched CVEs an organization has, the less secure the organization is.
Using CVEs to Compare Technology Solutions
Consider this: A less than scrupulous provider may choose to release new technologies to the market without thorough testing. This results in more CVEs and a need for more patches down the line. On the other hand, a security-focused provider will wait to launch a product until it has been thoroughly developed and tested. That means less vulnerabilities and fewer patches.
Keep in mind that hitting a 0% CVE rate is next to impossible because new CVEs come out on a weekly basis. To make your infrastructure as secure as possible, select a technology provider with a low number of annual CVEs.
Networking Tools – A Common Cause of CVEs
Networking tools have historically been notorious for causing CVEs. The most common networking vendor produced over 600 CVEs in 2021 alone.
Arista tells a completely different story with its data-driven cloud networking solution. Arista had only 12 CVEs created for the entirety of 2021 – far less than the leading competitor had in an average month. The stark difference in CVE count displays Arista’s emphasis on development and testing. Facing only 12 networking CVEs for the year means teams can easily manage remediation.
The bottom line – a manageable number of known vulnerabilities translates to swift patching and increased overall security. Select your networking toolset wisely.
In Conclusion
CVEs are an important part of cybersecurity vulnerability management. Networks will be stronger and more secure if an organization has fewer CVEs. Compare CVEs and partner with a networking provider that has a low annual number for increased network security and stability.
