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2025-01-07
The year 2024 has been a watershed moment in the world of cybersecurity, with an unprecedented surge in Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs). Over 40,000 CVEs were published, marking a staggering 38% increase from the 28,818 CVEs recorded in 2023. This explosive growth underscores the escalating challenges faced by organizations and individuals in safeguarding digital assets. From monthly spikes to the busiest publishing days, the data reveals critical insights into the evolving threat landscape. Letâs dive into the numbers, trends, and implications of this record-breaking year.
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Key Highlights of 2024 CVE Data
1. Total CVEs Published: 40,009, a 38.83% increase from 2023.
2. Daily Average: 108 CVEs published per day.
3. Peak Month: May, with 5,010 CVEs (12.5% of the annual total).
4. Busiest Day: May 3, 2024, with 845 CVEs published in 24 hours.
5. Top Publishing Day: Tuesdays accounted for 24.3% of all CVEs.
6. CVSS Scores: Average score of 6.67, with 231 vulnerabilities scoring a perfect 10.0.
7. Most Frequent CPE: Linux Kernel, appearing 8,093 times.
8. Top CNA: Patchstack, responsible for 11.41% of all CVEs.
9. Most Common CWE: CWE-79 (Cross-site Scripting), assigned to 6,227 CVEs.
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Monthly and Weekly Breakdown
Monthly CVE Distribution
| Month | CVEs | Percentage |
|————-|——-|————|
| January | 2,593 | 6.5% |
| February | 2,778 | 6.9% |
| March | 3,310 | 8.3% |
| April | 3,622 | 9.1% |
| May | 5,010 | 12.5% |
| June | 3,080 | 7.7% |
| July | 3,124 | 7.8% |
| August | 2,900 | 7.2% |
| September | 2,522 | 6.3% |
| October | 3,573 | 8.9% |
| November | 4,058 | 10.1% |
| December | 3,439 | 8.6% |
Weekly CVE Distribution
| Day | CVEs | Percentage |
|————|——-|————|
| Monday | 6,449 | 16.1% |
| Tuesday | 9,706 | 24.3% |
| Wednesday | 7,143 | 17.9% |
| Thursday | 6,321 | 15.8% |
| Friday | 7,100 | 17.7% |
| Saturday | 1,858 | 4.6% |
| Sunday | 1,432 | 3.6% |
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Top CVE Publishing Days in 2024
| Date | CVEs |
|—————-|——-|
| May 3, 2024 | 845 |
| May 14, 2024 | 824 |
| July 9, 2024 | 471 |
| May 21, 2024 | 436 |
| October 21, 2024 | 436 |
| November 22, 2024 | 385 |
| April 9, 2024 | 384 |
| November 19, 2024 | 383 |
| December 12, 2024 | 341 |
| November 12, 2024 | 333 |
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CVE Growth and Analysis
2024 marks the seventh consecutive year of record-high CVE publications, with 15.32% of all CVEs ever recorded being published this year alone. The average CVSS score of 6.67 highlights the severity of these vulnerabilities, with 231 achieving a perfect 10.0 score. The Linux Kernel emerged as the most frequently targeted system, while Ciscoâs IOS Software vulnerability (CVE-2024-20433) led with 2,434 unique configurations.
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Role of CVE Numbering Authorities (CNAs)
With 433 CNAs authorized to assign CVE IDs, 350 were active in 2024. The top five CNAsâPatchstack, Kernel.org, Wordfence, VulDB, and GitHubâaccounted for 43.67% of all CVEs, primarily focusing on open-source projects and WordPress plugins.
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Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE)
Out of 940 CWEs, 237 were assigned to CVEs in 2024. CWE-79 (Cross-site Scripting) was the most frequent, appearing in 6,227 CVEs. Notably, 6,292 CVEs lacked CWE information, and 695 were rejected and removed from the dataset.
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What Undercode Say:
The 2024 CVE data paints a stark picture of the cybersecurity landscape. The 38% year-over-year increase in vulnerabilities highlights the growing complexity of digital systems and the relentless efforts of attackers to exploit weaknesses. Hereâs what the data tells us:
1. Open-Source Vulnerabilities on the Rise: The prominence of Linux Kernel and WordPress-related CVEs underscores the critical need for securing open-source ecosystems, which are increasingly targeted due to their widespread use.
2. Tuesdays Are the New Cyber Threat Day: The spike in CVE publications on Tuesdays suggests a pattern in vulnerability disclosures, possibly tied to organizational workflows or coordinated release schedules.
3. Severity Scores Matter: With 231 CVEs scoring a perfect 10.0 on the CVSS scale, organizations must prioritize patching and mitigation strategies for high-risk vulnerabilities.
4. The Role of CNAs: The dominance of Patchstack and Kernel.org in CVE publications reflects the growing responsibility of CNAs in identifying and addressing vulnerabilities in critical software.
5. CWE Gaps: The absence of CWE information in 6,292 CVEs highlights a significant gap in vulnerability classification, which could hinder effective risk assessment and mitigation.
6. Real-Time Tracking is Essential: Projects like CVE.ICU, which provide real-time CVE tracking, are invaluable for organizations aiming to stay ahead of emerging threats.
In conclusion, the 2024 CVE data serves as a wake-up call for the cybersecurity community. As vulnerabilities continue to grow in both volume and complexity, proactive measures, collaboration, and real-time monitoring will be key to mitigating risks and safeguarding digital infrastructures.
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For ongoing insights and data visualization, explore the GitHub repository featuring Jupyter notebooks related to this analysis. Stay informed, stay secure.
References:
Reported By: Cyberpress.org
https://www.quora.com/topic/Technology
Wikipedia: https://www.wikipedia.org
Undercode AI: https://ai.undercodetesting.com
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