The number of Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures identifiers (CVE IDs) created year over year has rapidly increased, and this trend is expected to continue indefinitely. Currently, a National Vulnerability Database (NVD) analyst manually reviews each CVE and attaches multiple forms of CVE metadata used by downstream consumers to prioritize and assist automated vulnerability scanning tools. This is a manually intensive process, and in many cases, this metadata is provided by the source, or CNA (CVE Numbering Authority), of the CVE with no policies or procedures in place to validate and accept the information.

Draft NISTIR 8246, National Vulnerability Database (NVD) Metadata Submission Guidelines for Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) Numbering Authorities (CNAs) and Authorized Data Publishers, seeks to leverage the strength of technical knowledge provided by the CNAs and the application of consistent and unbiased CVE metadata provided by NVD analysts through the formalization of a CVE entry metadata submission process. This will allow for a more efficient integration of the CNAs’ efforts into the NVD analyst workflow, which will directly benefit downstream users and improve the security of our national IT infrastructure.

The public comment period for this document is open through March 20, 2020. See the publication details for a copy of the draft and instructions for submitting comments.

NOTE: A call for patent claims is included on page iii of this draft. For additional information, see the Information Technology Laboratory (ITL) Patent Policy—Inclusion of Patents in ITL Publications.