The Work Behind the Curtain
A few weeks ago, I talked about classification. I mentioned how the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) database is essentially the first step in categorizing new issues and threats. But what does that really mean, and how is it used?
No code is perfect, because we, the humans who write it, are imperfect. Mistakes happen. By definition, vulnerability is the quality or state of being exposed to the possibility of being attacked or harmed, either physically or emotionally (source: Oxford dictionary). In the digital world, this pertains to flaws, loopholes and gaps in programming, allowing threat actors to take potential advantage. Many are not inherently dangerous, or are of such small importance that risk of exploitation isn’t high. But some can lead to disaster.
The CVE database is a critical tool in tracking and repairing these vulnerabilities, a summary of which is part of my research here at WISP. CISA – the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency – assigns scores to organize these reported vulnerabilities by severity using the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS). The listings include the primary vendor or product, a short description of the vulnerability, when it was published, its CVSS score, CVE id number and patch information if applicable.
So what are some examples?
A notable case in the last week is the Cisco Secure Firewall Adaptive Security Appliance issue (CVE-2025-20333 and CVE-2025-20334), which came from improper validation requests, meaning anyone with valid VPN user credentials could potentially compromise an affected device by executing arbitrary code as root code. Cisco is strongly recommending anyone affected by this to upgrade to the fixed software that will remediate the issue entirely. There are no reports of exploitation of this vulnerability, but only because of the quick work of Cisco to repair it.
Another case is FlowiseAI (CVE-2025-59528). A previous version is vulnerable to remote code execution that allows JavaScript code without any security validation while building an LLM. It has been patched in a new version without report of exploitation.
A third incident of vulnerability affected Airship AI Acropolis (CVE-2025-35042), which included default credentials on every installation. Not changing the password could allow remote login and admin privileges. It has also been patched before any exploitation was reported.
There are many others listed from the last week. Ranging in CVSS scores from 10 (critically severe) to 2.4 (low risk), and over two hundred that have not yet been assigned. The work is never ending, and showcases just how easily little things can have big consequences. It is often thankless work as well, since few people outside the industry know it’s happening at all. But cybersecurity would not exist without this work. And I salute each and every person who reports, compiles and assists in patching these vulnerabilities.
Posted on LinkedIn 9/30/25
