Open Source Vulnerability Database: Difference between revisions

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'''Open Source Vulnerability Database (OSVDB)''' is an independent and open source database created by and for the community. The goal of the project is to provide accurate, detailed, current, and unbiased technical information on security vulnerabilities. The project promotes greater, open collaboration between companies and individuals, eliminates redundant works, and reduce expenses inherent with the development and maintenance of in-house vulnerability databases.

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The '''Open Sourced Vulnerability Database''' ('''OSVDB''') was an independent and open-sourced [[vulnerability database]]. The goal of the project was to provide accurate, detailed, current, and unbiased technical information on [[Information security|security]] vulnerabilities.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Rosencrance|first=Linda|date=2004-04-16|title=Brief: Vulnerability database goes live|url=https://www.computerworld.com/article/2563666/brief--vulnerability-database-goes-live.html|access-date=2020-08-15|website=Computerworld|language=en}}</ref> The project promoted greater and more open collaboration between companies and individuals. The database's motto was "Everything is Vulnerable".<ref>{{cite web |title=Biased software vulnerability stats praising Microsoft were 101% misleading |url=https://www.csoonline.com/article/2226625/biased-software-vulnerability-stats-praising-microsoft-were-101--misleading.html |accessdate=20 May 2020}}</ref>

The core of OSVDB was a relational database which tied various information about security vulnerabilities into a common, cross-referenced [[open security]] data source. As of December 2013, the database cataloged over 100,000 vulnerabilities.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://blog.osvdb.org/2014/01/20/we-hit-the-100000-mark/ |title=We hit the 100,000 mark… |date=20 January 2014 |access-date=22 January 2020 }}{{Dead link|date=August 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> While the database was maintained by a 501(c)(3) non-profit public organization and volunteers, the data was prohibited for commercial use without a license. Despite that, many large commercial companies used the data in violation of the license without contributing employee volunteer time or financial compensation.<ref>{{Cite web|title=McAfee accused of McSlurping Open Source Vulnerability Database|url=https://www.theregister.com/2014/05/08/whats_copyright_mcafee_mcslurps_vuln_database/|access-date=2020-08-15|website=www.theregister.com|language=en}}</ref>

==History==

The project was started in August 2002 at the [[Black Hat Briefings|Blackhat]] and Defcon[[DEF CON]] Conferences by several industry notables (including [[H. D. Moore]], rain.forest.puppy, and wasothers). madeUnder availablemostly-new management, the database officially launched to the public on March 31, 2004.<ref>{{cite Thenews |url=https://www.networkworld.com/article/3053613/open-source-vulnerabilities-database-shuts-down.html |title=Open-source Securityvulnerabilities Foundationdatabase (OSF)shuts wasdown created|first=Jon to|last=Gold ensure|work=Network theWorld project's|date=7 continueingApril support.2016 Jake|access-date=22 Kouns,January Chris2020}}</ref> Sullo,The Forrestoriginal Rae,implementation andwas Brianwritten Martinin arePHP projectby leadersForrest forRae (FBR). Later, the OSVDBentire projectsite andwas currentlyre-written holdin leadershipRuby roleson inRails theby David OSFShettler.

The [[Open Security Foundation]] (OSF) was created to ensure the project's continuing support. Jake Kouns (Zel), Chris Sullo, Kelly Todd (AKA Lyger), David Shettler (AKA D2D), and Brian Martin (AKA Jericho) were project leaders for the OSVDB project, and held leadership roles in the OSF at various times.

On 5 April 2016, the database was shut down, while the blog was initially continued by Brian Martin.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://blog.osvdb.org/2016/04/05/osvdb-fin/ |title=OSVDB: Fin |date=5 April 2016 |access-date=22 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160528152631/https://blog.osvdb.org/2016/04/05/osvdb-fin/ |archive-date=28 May 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The reason for the shut down was the ongoing commercial but uncompensated use by security companies.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Kovacs|first=Eduard|title=McAfee Issues Response to OSVDB Accusations Regarding Data Scraping|url=https://news.softpedia.com/news/McAfee-Issues-Response-to-OSVDB-Accusations-Regarding-Data-Scraping-441323.shtml|access-date=2020-08-15|website=softpedia|language=english}}</ref>

As of January 2012, vulnerability entry was performed by full-time employees of Risk Based Security,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Homepage|url=https://www.riskbasedsecurity.com/|access-date=2020-08-15|website=RBS|language=en-US}}</ref> who provided the personnel to do the work in order to give back to the community. Every new entry included a full title, disclosure timeline, description, solution (if known), classification metadata, references, products, and researcher who discovered the vulnerability (creditee).

==Process==

Originally, vulnerability disclosures posted in various security lists and web sites were entered into the database as a new entry in the New Data Mangler (NDM) queue. The new entry contained only a title and links to the disclosure. At that stage the page for the new entry didn't contain any detailed description of the vulnerability or any associated metadata. As time permitted, new entries were analyzed and refined, by adding a description of the vulnerability as well as a solution if available. This general activity was called "data mangling" and someone who performed this task a "mangler". Mangling was done by core or casual volunteers. Details submitted by volunteers were reviewed by the core volunteers, called "moderators", further refining the entry or rejecting the volunteer changes if necessary. New information added to an entry that was approved was then available to anyone browsing the site.

==Contributors==

Some of the key people that volunteered and maintained '''OSVDB''':

* Jake Kouns (Officer of OSF, Moderator)

* Brian Martin a.k.a. Jericho (Officer of OSF, Moderator)

* Kelly Todd a.k.a. Lyger (Officer of OSF, Moderator)

* David Shettler (Officer of OSF, Developer)

* Chris Sullo (Moderator)

* Daniel Moeller (Moderator)

* Forrest Rae (Developer)

Other volunteers who have helped in the past include:<ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-05-02 |title=OSVDB: Open Sourced Vulnerability Database |url=http://osvdb.com/contributors |access-date=2024-08-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140502042016/http://osvdb.com/contributors |archive-date=2 May 2014 }}</ref>

* Steve Tornio (Moderator)

* Zach Shue (Moderator)

* Alexander Koren a.k.a. ph0enix (Mangler)

* Carsten Eiram a.k.a. Chep (Moderator)

* Marlowe (Mangler)

* Travis Schack (Mangler)

* Susam Pal (Mangler)

* Christian Seifert (Mangler)

* Zain Memon

== References ==

<references />

== External links ==

* [httphttps://wwwblog.osvdb.org/ OSVDB: TheBlog]{{Dead Openlink|date=August Source2025 Vulnerability|bot=InternetArchiveBot Database]|fix-attempted=yes }}

* [https://www.riskbasedsecurity.com/ Risk Based Security]

[[Category:Computer_securitySecurity vulnerability databases]]

[[Category:Internet properties established in 2002]]

[[Category:Internet properties disestablished in 2016]]