The framework that provides vulnerability metrics and characteristics to support the National Vulnerability Database (NVD) is the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS). CVSS is a framework that provides a standardized and consistent way to measure and communicate the severity and the impact of the vulnerabilities or weaknesses that may affect the security or the functionality of the systems or the components. CVSS provides vulnerability metrics and characteristics, such as the base score, the temporal score, and the environmental score, that are based on the various factors or attributes of the vulnerabilities, such as the exploitability, the scope, the impact, the remediation, or the confidence. CVSS supports the NVD, which is a repository or a database that collects and maintains the information or the data about the publicly known or reported vulnerabilities or weaknesses that are identified by the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) identifiers. CVSS supports the NVD, because it can:
Provide a common and uniform language or terminology for describing and defining the vulnerabilities or weaknesses that are included in the NVD, and facilitate the understanding and the comparison of the vulnerabilities or weaknesses among the users or the stakeholders.
Provide a quantitative and qualitative assessment or evaluation of the vulnerabilities or weaknesses that are included in the NVD, and indicate the level of risk or threat that the vulnerabilities or weaknesses pose to the systems or the components.
Provide a dynamic and flexible measurement or calculation of the vulnerabilities or weaknesses that are included in the NVD, and reflect the changes or the updates of the vulnerabilities or weaknesses over time or across different environments or scenarios.
The other options are not the frameworks that provide vulnerability metrics and characteristics to support the NVD. Center for Internet Security (CIS) is an organization that provides the best practices and the guidelines for securing the systems or the components, such as the CIS Controls and the CIS Benchmarks, that are based on the consensus and the collaboration of the experts or the professionals in the field of cybersecurity. CIS does not provide vulnerability metrics and characteristics to support the NVD, but rather provides security recommendations and configurations to prevent or mitigate the vulnerabilities or weaknesses that are included in the NVD. Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) is a system that provides the identifiers or the names for the publicly known or reported vulnerabilities or weaknesses that affect the security or the functionality of the systems or the components, and that are used for referencing and tracking the vulnerabilities or weaknesses. CVE does not provide vulnerability metrics and characteristics to support the NVD, but rather provides vulnerability identification and classification to populate and maintain the NVD. Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) is an organization that provides the resources and the tools for improving the security of the web applications or the websites, such as the OWASP Top 10 and the OWASP Testing Guide, that are based on the research and the analysis of the experts or the professionals in the field of web application security. OWASP does not provide vulnerability metrics and characteristics to support the NVD, but rather provides vulnerability awareness and education to prevent or mitigate the vulnerabilities or weaknesses that are included in the NVD. References: CISSP All-in-One Exam Guide, Eighth Edition, Chapter 4: Security Architecture and Engineering, page 450. Official (ISC)2 CISSP CBK Reference, Fifth Edition, Chapter 4: Security Architecture and Engineering, page 451.
