In a decision that could shake the very core of global cybersecurity, the United States government has abruptly ended funding for the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) program, a backbone service used to catalog security flaws across digital infrastructure.
If you’ve ever patched a bug, followed a vulnerability advisory, or run threat intelligence tools, chances are the CVE database played a vital role in making it happen. Now, that entire system is in limbo.
🔎 What Is the CVE Program, and Why Does It Matter?
The CVE program, launched in 1999, is responsible for assigning unique identifiers to software vulnerabilities. These are the codes you’ve likely seen before, like:
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CVE-2014-0160 (aka Heartbleed)
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CVE-2017-5754 (aka Meltdown)
By giving every serious bug a universal ID, CVEs let developers, vendors, researchers, and security teams talk the same language. It’s like having a shared dictionary for digital flaws.
Whether it’s a massive enterprise like Microsoft or a solo researcher in a basement lab, CVE IDs ensure everyone is tracking and fixing the same vulnerabilities.
💥 The Bombshell: Funding Ends April 16
On Tuesday, MITRE Corporation, the non-profit that operates the CVE database under contract with the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), confirmed what many feared:
“On Wednesday, April 16, funding for MITRE to develop, operate, and modernize the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures Program will expire.” — Yosry Barsoum, MITRE Vice President
This sudden cutoff comes amid federal budget trimming under the Trump administration, as cost-saving measures target programs across cybersecurity and national defense.
Barsoum warned of “multiple impacts,” including:
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Deterioration of national vulnerability databases
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Disruption of security tools, incident response systems, and advisories
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Risks to critical infrastructure and national security
🧠 Why the CVE Program Is Cybersecurity Oxygen
Katie Moussouris, CEO of Luta Security and creator of Microsoft’s bug bounty program, put it bluntly:
“An abrupt halt like this would be like depriving the cybersecurity industry of oxygen and expecting it to spontaneously sprout gills.”
Without the CVE program:
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There’s no unified naming system for security flaws
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Companies may report the same bug under different terms
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Security tools may miss or duplicate vulnerabilities
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Organizations could be non-compliant with regulations
In 2024 alone, over 40,000 new CVEs were published. That’s more than 100 every single day.
Now, imagine that suddenly… stops.
🧩 Who Uses CVEs?
The CVE program is global, with over 200 partners in 40+ countries, including:
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Tech giants like Microsoft, Google, Apple
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Cybersecurity vendors like Trend Micro, Rapid7, and VulnCheck
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Governments and military agencies
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Financial institutions, hospitals, and utilities
Before CVEs, vendors used their own systems. It was chaotic. Customers had no idea if they were affected, and vulnerabilities went unnoticed.
Dustin Childs of Trend Micro remembers that era well:
“Before CVEs, each company referred to vulnerabilities using their own vernacular… It won’t be good if we go back to that.”
🔒 What Happens Now?
MITRE’s funding runs dry — but not the danger.
✅ What Will Still Work (For Now):
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Historical CVE data will remain accessible on GitHub
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VulnCheck has pre-reserved 1,000 CVE IDs for 2025 — a temporary patch to keep the system breathing
❌ What’s at Risk:
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No new CVE assignments could mean unknown bugs go untracked
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The CVE website might go offline
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Security tools and scanners may lose data feeds
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Organizations could face compliance nightmares
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New software flaws could explode into uncoordinated chaos
🧠 Can the Private Sector Step Up?
Patrick Garrity from VulnCheck believes this is a wake-up call:
“The CVE program is a critical resource globally… The security industry needs to step in to fill the void.”
But replacing CVE isn’t as simple as flipping a switch. It would require:
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A trusted international consortium
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Clear governance, transparency, and trust
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Universal adoption by developers, vendors, and governments
And most importantly: money.
🧨 Why This Isn’t Just a Cybersecurity Story
This is a story about digital trust.
If CVE collapses, every sector that relies on digital tools — from healthcare and banking to national defense — will face the ripple effects. Flaws won’t stop appearing. They’ll just be harder to name, track, and fix.
In a world where zero-day exploits sell for millions and attacks move at lightning speed, taking down the only universal catalog for software flaws is like removing GPS from air traffic control.
🗣️ Final Thoughts: The Clock Is Ticking
As of today, the CVE program no longer has a future unless something — or someone — steps up.
Whether it's a private sector alliance or an emergency reversal of the funding decision, one thing is clear: letting CVE die is not an option.
Because when the dictionary of vulnerabilities disappears, no one knows what anyone is talking about anymore.
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