# What is a CVE?

A CVE (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures) is a public identifier for a known security vulnerability, written like CVE-2024-3400: the year, then a number. The list is run by the MITRE Corporation with partner organisations, and the CVE number lets vendors, security teams and tools refer to exactly the same problem. When a vendor publishes a security advisory, it lists the CVEs it fixes. When you read that a CVE is being actively exploited, check whether you run the affected product and version, and patch or apply the vendor's workaround. The European Union runs its own vulnerability database as well, operated by ENISA.

FAQ: [What is…? Network and security terms](https://netsenx.com/en/faq/glossary) · https://netsenx.com/en/faq/what-is-a-cve

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