The MITRE Corporation faced a critical funding crisis for its CVE (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures) Program, a cornerstone of global cybersecurity infrastructure used by vendors, governments, and critical infrastructure entities to track and prioritize vulnerabilities. The U.S. federal government initially appeared unwilling to renew MITRE’s contract, risking the shutdown of the CVE program—halting new vulnerability entries and eventually taking the platform offline. While historical CVE records would remain accessible via GitHub, the disruption would sever a vital resource for real-time threat intelligence, leaving organizations worldwide exposed to unpatched vulnerabilities without centralized tracking.The temporary 11-month contract extension by CISA averted immediate collapse, but the uncertainty underscored systemic risks: reliance on a single entity for a foundational cybersecurity service, potential exploitation gaps during transitions, and the broader fragility of public-private partnerships in critical infrastructure. ENISA’s parallel launch of the European Vulnerability Database further highlighted the urgency of decentralizing such dependencies, as MITRE’s near-lapse revealed how a funding lapse could cascade into global cybersecurity blind spots, delaying patch management and increasing attack surfaces for threat actors.
Source: https://therecord.media/eu-launches-vulnerability-database
MITRE cybersecurity rating report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/mitre
"id": "MIT3490134112625",
"linkid": "mitre",
"type": "Vulnerability",
"date": "5/2025",
"severity": "100",
"impact": "5",
"explanation": "Attack threatening the organization’s existence"{'affected_entities': [{'industry': 'Cybersecurity',
'location': 'European Union',
'name': 'European Union Agency for Cybersecurity '
'(ENISA)',
'type': 'Government Agency'},
{'customers_affected': 'Global (vendors, governments, '
'critical infrastructure '
'entities relying on CVE '
'program)',
'industry': 'Cybersecurity',
'location': 'United States',
'name': 'MITRE Corporation',
'type': 'Non-profit Organization'},
{'industry': 'Cybersecurity',
'location': 'United States',
'name': 'U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure '
'Security Agency (CISA)',
'type': 'Government Agency'}],
'date_publicly_disclosed': '2024-02-20',
'description': 'The European Union launched its new European Vulnerability '
'Database (EVD), a notification platform for cybersecurity '
'vulnerabilities, while concerns arose over the funding and '
"future of MITRE's CVE Program. The U.S. Cybersecurity and "
'Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) temporarily extended '
"MITRE's contract for 11 months to prevent disruption, as the "
'cybersecurity community expressed alarm over potential lapses '
'in CVE updates. ENISA is coordinating with MITRE to assess '
'the impact and next steps.',
'impact': {'brand_reputation_impact': 'Concerns raised within the '
'cybersecurity community about the '
'reliability and continuity of critical '
'vulnerability databases (CVE program).',
'operational_impact': 'Potential disruption to global '
'vulnerability tracking and response '
'prioritization if CVE program funding '
'lapses; historical records would remain '
'available on GitHub but no new CVEs would '
'be added.'},
'investigation_status': 'Ongoing coordination between ENISA and MITRE; CVE '
'program operations secured for 11 months via '
'temporary contract extension.',
'lessons_learned': 'The incident highlights the critical dependency of the '
'global cybersecurity ecosystem on centralized '
'vulnerability databases like the CVE program. It '
'underscores the need for sustainable funding models and '
'contingency planning to ensure continuity of essential '
'cybersecurity infrastructure. Collaboration between '
'regional entities (e.g., ENISA) and global programs '
'(e.g., MITRE) is vital for resilience.',
'post_incident_analysis': {'corrective_actions': ['Temporary contract '
'extension by CISA to '
'maintain CVE program '
'operations.',
"ENISA's launch of the "
'European Vulnerability '
'Database as a '
'complementary notification '
'platform.',
'Ongoing discussions '
'between ENISA and MITRE to '
'address long-term '
'sustainability.'],
'root_causes': ['Uncertainty in federal funding '
'for the CVE program, leading to '
'potential operational gaps.',
'Lack of a backup or distributed '
'system to ensure continuity of '
'vulnerability tracking.',
'Dependency on a single non-profit '
'organization (MITRE) for a '
'critical global cybersecurity '
'utility.']},
'recommendations': ['Establish long-term funding mechanisms for critical '
'cybersecurity utilities like the CVE program to prevent '
'operational disruptions.',
'Develop redundant or distributed vulnerability databases '
'to mitigate single points of failure.',
'Enhance transparency in contract renewals and funding '
'allocations for foundational cybersecurity programs.',
'Foster international cooperation to share vulnerability '
'data and reduce reliance on any single entity.',
'Encourage private-sector contributions to support '
'public-good cybersecurity initiatives.'],
'references': [{'date_accessed': '2024-02-20',
'source': 'Recorded Future News'},
{'date_accessed': '2024-02-20',
'source': 'ENISA Public Statement'},
{'date_accessed': '2024-01-XX',
'source': 'MITRE Spokesperson Statement'},
{'date_accessed': '2024-01-XX',
'source': 'U.S. CISA Announcement on MITRE Contract '
'Extension'}],
'response': {'communication_strategy': 'Public statements by ENISA and MITRE; '
'media coverage by Recorded Future '
'News.',
'remediation_measures': 'Temporary 11-month contract extension '
'for MITRE to continue operating the CVE '
'program; historical CVE records to '
'remain available on GitHub if funding '
'lapses.',
'third_party_assistance': 'ENISA in contact with MITRE to assess '
'impact and next steps.'},
'stakeholder_advisories': 'Cybersecurity vendors, governments, and critical '
'infrastructure entities advised to monitor updates '
"from ENISA and MITRE regarding the CVE program's "
'future.',
'title': "Launch of European Union's Vulnerability Database and Concerns Over "
'CVE Program Funding',
'type': ['Vulnerability Management', 'Operational Risk']}