KEVology: Analyzing Timelines, Scores, and Exploits
A new report by former CISA Section Chief Tod Beardsley. This analysis investigates how KEV entries behave in practice and identifies the interactions between scoring systems and commodity exploitation that truly matter to defenders.
KEV Collider: Experimental Threat Signal Analysis
A community-driven web application and open-source dataset. It allows security teams to “smash together” risk signals to explore how different combinations of data change the reality of operational risk.
The Reality of Prioritization
The KEV is not a definitive list of the most dangerous vulnerabilities; it is an operational tool shaped by specific exploitation criteria. Effective prioritization requires a combination of signals because no single metric provides a complete picture:
- CVSS: Describes potential severity, but lacks likelihood.
- EPSS: Models the probability of exploitation, but ignores local exposure.
- SSVC: Provides a decision-making framework without environmental context.
From Documentation to Active Investigation
Developed by runZero, the KEV Collider enables investigators to layer the CISA KEV with the enrichment data needed to distinguish between theoretical risks and immediate emergencies. This approach allows teams to move toward evidence-based reasoning where prioritization is treated as a hypothesis to be tested and revised.
About runZero
runZero, a network discovery and asset inventory solution, was founded in 2018 by HD Moore, the creator of Metasploit. HD envisioned a modern active discovery solution that could find and identify everything on a network–without credentials. As a security researcher and penetration tester, he often employed benign ways to get information leaks and piece them together to build device profiles. Eventually, this work led him to leverage applied research and the discovery techniques developed for security and penetration testing to create runZero.
About Version 2 Digital
Version 2 Digital is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company distributes a wide range of IT products across various areas including cyber security, cloud, data protection, end points, infrastructures, system monitoring, storage, networking, business productivity and communication products.
Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 offers quality products and services which are highly acclaimed in the market. Its customers cover a wide spectrum which include Global 1000 enterprises, regional listed companies, different vertical industries, public utilities, Government, a vast number of successful SMEs, and consumers in various Asian cities.
