Common weakness enumeration (CWE)

What is Common weakness enumeration (CWE)

CWE stands for Common Weakness Enumeration, and it is a community-developed list of software and hardware weaknesses that can lead to security vulnerabilities. CWE is maintained by the MITRE Corporation and is part of the larger Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) program.

CWE is designed to provide a standard language and framework for describing and categorizing security weaknesses that are commonly found in software systems. Each weakness in CWE is given a unique identifier and a description, which includes information about how the weakness can be exploited, potential consequences of the weakness, and recommended ways to prevent or mitigate the weakness.

By using CWE, security professionals can better understand the types of weaknesses that may be present in a system, prioritize their efforts to identify and remediate vulnerabilities, and share information about vulnerabilities across different organizations and communities.