OctoSQL Meets Cybersecurity: Supercharging Vulnerability Data Analysis with EPSS Insights

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Intro: Revolutionizing Vulnerability Analysis with OctoSQL

In today’s ever-evolving cybersecurity landscape, understanding vulnerabilities is no longer a luxury — it’s essential. The increasing complexity of CVE data, patch timelines, and exploit probabilities requires tools that go beyond static databases. Enter OctoSQL, a powerful CLI engine that allows security professionals to unify and query data from multiple sources in a fast, SQL-based manner. By integrating with the CVE-Vulnerability-Information-Downloader, OctoSQL empowers analysts to make informed decisions backed by real-time data aggregation, scoring models like EPSS, and known exploitation records such as CISA’s KEV catalog. This article walks you through how OctoSQL enhances cybersecurity workflows and explores recent Qualcomm GPU driver vulnerabilities actively being exploited in the wild. It also offers a practical deep dive into how query-based threat validation can bridge the gap between raw data and actionable intelligence.

Combining OctoSQL & CVE Intelligence (40 lines)

The author, a daily follower of TLDR Information Security, discovered OctoSQL — a tool that transforms how cybersecurity professionals access and analyze vulnerability data. By pairing OctoSQL with the CVE-Vulnerability-Information-Downloader, users can pull in critical CVE metadata, including CVSS scores, EPSS probabilities, and CISA’s Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list, all within a single, searchable environment. This becomes particularly useful when assessing the scope and risk of vulnerabilities like the three zero-days recently patched in Qualcomm’s Adreno GPU driver.

According to TLDR InfoSec’s June 3, 2025 report, these vulnerabilities (CVE-2025-21479, CVE-2025-21480, and CVE-2025-27038) are actively being exploited in targeted attacks. Two of these enable memory corruption via unauthorized GPU command execution, while the third involves a use-after-free flaw within Chrome’s graphics rendering pipeline. These flaws were severe enough for Google’s Threat Analysis Group to flag them as under targeted exploitation. Qualcomm responded swiftly, pushing patches to vendors with urgency.

However, the article notes a gap — while summaries like TLDR’s provide surface-level insight, they often omit the granular data needed for risk modeling. That’s where the CVE-Vulnerability-Information-Downloader and OctoSQL come in. By running SQL queries on local JSON and CSV data pulled from multiple authoritative sources, users can quickly validate which vulnerabilities are known to be exploited and understand their associated EPSS scores. For example, queries showed that all three Qualcomm CVEs in question have low EPSS scores, indicating a reduced likelihood of widespread exploitation. Still, inclusion in the KEV list confirms their exploitation in the wild.

One powerful OctoSQL feature is the ability to join datasets on common identifiers, such as CVE IDs. This allows analysts to simultaneously evaluate historical exploit patterns, severity scores, and predictive risk metrics. Using this approach, the highest EPSS score among Qualcomm’s exploited CVEs was just 0.16672 for CVE-2025-27038, reflecting its “Access Vector: Local” limitation. Additionally, the author highlights OctoSQL’s explainable query plans, which enhance understanding and optimize performance — a valuable feature for production environments.

Whether dealing with patch prioritization or proactive threat modeling, tools like OctoSQL offer serious value for security teams looking to bridge the intelligence gap. This article showcases how merging multiple threat intelligence sources through SQL-based interfaces isn’t just powerful — it’s becoming a necessity.

What Undercode Say: (Analytical Insights – 50 lines)

OctoSQL’s emergence as a unifying data engine for cybersecurity analytics represents a pivotal advancement in modern threat intelligence processing. The ability to merge JSON, CSV, and other file formats into a single queryable interface allows for seamless integration of vulnerability datasets, including CISA’s KEV list, CVE details, EPSS predictions, and CVSS scores. Analysts no longer have to switch tools, navigate clunky dashboards, or rely on outdated APIs to evaluate the exploitability of a given vulnerability. Everything is localized, modular, and scalable through a terminal interface.

In the Qualcomm case study, we see a timely illustration of how OctoSQL can provide value beyond static advisories. While the TLDR InfoSec newsletter reported on the existence and exploitation of three critical vulnerabilities, OctoSQL allowed for a deeper dive — confirming whether these CVEs appeared in CISA’s KEV, and evaluating their EPSS scores to predict the likelihood of future exploitation. This level of granularity is vital for security teams who must prioritize patches within limited windows of time and resources.

Interestingly, the low EPSS scores for the Qualcomm vulnerabilities serve as a reminder that inclusion in the KEV list doesn’t always equate to widespread risk. EPSS, built on data science principles, reflects patterns in exploitation observed across multiple threat data streams. When access vectors are local or privilege-dependent, as seen with these GPU flaws, the likelihood of mass exploitation diminishes. But this also highlights the critical role of context. In targeted attacks — such as those against activists and journalists using Cellebrite — even low-scoring vulnerabilities can have devastating impact.

OctoSQL’s capability to order results by EPSS and return joined datasets quickly streamlines workflows typically reserved for expensive commercial platforms. Furthermore, the ability to explain query plans gives it a DevSecOps edge, especially in CI/CD environments or where data pipelines need transparency and performance optimization.

Another underappreciated feature is its compatibility with Docker, enabling fast deployment in production or lab environments. This is a game-changer for security teams who need quick, reliable access to vulnerability analytics without dealing with SaaS limitations or restrictive egress policies.

The article also underscores the democratization of threat intelligence — you no longer need proprietary tools or advanced infrastructure to achieve deep insight. With GitHub repos, free APIs, and open-source tooling like OctoSQL, any analyst can become a self-sufficient threat hunter. This aligns with the current shift toward transparency and decentralization in cybersecurity.

From an enterprise lens, incorporating OctoSQL into vulnerability management pipelines offers huge potential. Imagine correlating CVEs in your internal asset inventory with live KEV and EPSS scores — and doing so through one SQL query. This allows for context-aware patching, enhanced vulnerability scoring, and better reporting to stakeholders.

The Qualcomm example might not represent catastrophic CVEs in terms of mass exploitation, but it’s a perfect training ground for using OctoSQL to build foundational intelligence models. Teams can iterate quickly, test logic, and validate hypotheses without waiting for third-party integrations or monthly vulnerability dumps. It brings agility to an industry that often lags in time-to-insight.

Finally, this blog serves as a practical case study for the broader security community. It shows that raw data alone isn’t enough — the tools we use to analyze that data are just as important. OctoSQL bridges the gap between analyst intent and actionable insight with precision and speed.

Fact Checker Results ✅📊

✅ Qualcomm CVEs mentioned (21479, 21480, 27038) are real and patched
✅ These vulnerabilities are listed in CISA’s Known Exploited list
✅ EPSS scores validate low likelihood of mass exploitation despite active targeting

Prediction 🔮📉

With OctoSQL gaining traction in open-source security circles, expect to see broader adoption in enterprise vulnerability management pipelines. Its compatibility with EPSS and KEV catalogs will enable smarter patching strategies. While Qualcomm’s current flaws have low EPSS scores, increased threat actor sophistication may still weaponize them in highly targeted operations. Therefore, context-aware risk modeling powered by OctoSQL will become a standard defense mechanism in future cybersecurity workflows.

References:

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