Vulnerability Exploitability eXchange (VEX)

The explosion of software-driven business, cloud computing, and open-source adoption has transformed software supply chains into the backbone of modern organizations. However, with this progress comes an avalanche of security vulnerabilities, many of which create more confusion than actionable insight. Every week, new vulnerabilities are disclosed in third-party libraries, frameworks, and commercial software used across the enterprise. Security teams are expected to rapidly identify, triage, and respond yet in practice, much of their time is consumed by alerts about vulnerabilities that don’t actually pose a real risk.

Why? Because most traditional vulnerability management solutions lack context about your exact environment. They don’t know if the flagged vulnerability is actually exploitable in your configuration, if the risky code path is even enabled, or if your supplier has already patched or nullified the risk at build time. This disconnect leads to alert fatigue, wasted resources, and patching cycles that disrupt operations without always improving security.

What is Vulnerability Exploitability eXchange (VEX)?

Vulnerability Exploitability eXchange (VEX) is an open, industry-standard format for conveying vital context about the real exploitability of vulnerabilities in software products, components, and systems. VEX offers a way for software producers and consumers to go beyond simple lists of vulnerabilities, providing clear statements on whether a vulnerability is actually exploitable in a given product version or configuration.

Why Traditional Vulnerability Management Leaves Gaps

Automated scanners and public databases like CVE and the National Vulnerability Database (NVD) are essential to detecting issues. However, they create several pain points:

Alerts often lack context about product configuration, custom builds, or compiled features.
Security teams are inundated with thousands of flagged vulnerabilities, many of which are not actionable.
Patch cycles are wasted on issues that don’t apply, while true risks may slip by unnoticed.
The costs of compliance, audit, and customer assurance increase without improving real security.

The Value Proposition of VEX

VEX changes the narrative by letting software suppliers issue signed, machine-readable statements that clarify exactly how and whether a vulnerability impacts their products. This enables more precise, efficient, and manageable security operations.

Anatomy of a VEX Document

VEX documents are built to be ingested by automated tools and interpreted by skilled analysts alike. They’re typically delivered in formats like CycloneDX or SPDX and are often distributed alongside Software Bills of Materials (SBOMs).

Key Elements of a VEX Document

Product or Component identification: Links the advisory to a specific version or build, often referencing SBOMs or package URLs.
Vulnerability Reference: Lists one or more specific CVEs or unique vulnerability identifiers.
Exploitability Status, such as:
- not_affected (the vulnerability is not exploitable in this context)
- affected (the product is at risk)
- fixed (the issue has been remediated)
- under_investigation (risk is not yet determined)
Status Justification: Textual explanation, for example, “vulnerable code path is not included in this release.”
Action Guidance: Recommendations such as updating, configuration changes, or direct confirmation of no action required.
Timestamp and Digital Signature: Ensures traceability and authenticity for compliance and trust.

How VEX Streamlines Vulnerability Management

Less Noise, More Action

By providing vendor-supplied context, VEX helps organizations move past the generic “is this software component present?” approach and start asking, “Is this vulnerability actually reachable and exploitable in my environment?”

Reduces alert fatigue from false positives.
Enables patch prioritization, fix what matters, when it matters.
Boosts automation, letting vulnerability management systems ingest and act on VEX content.

Security and Compliance Advantages

Helps organizations meet emerging regulatory and contractual mandates for exploitability attestation.
Builds transparent trust between software vendors and customers.
Reduces wasted effort during audits by presenting clear, authoritative exploitability statements for all findings.

Integrating VEX and SBOM for End-to-End Supply Chain Security

The SBOM catalogs what’s in your software; VEX clarifies which vulnerabilities in that list are truly relevant. Together, they provide unprecedented transparency and facilitate informed decision-making.

Combined Benefits

Complete visibility from inventory to true risk.
Stronger defense by focusing remediation on what’s actually exploitable.
Automated compliance through digitally signed, auditable documentation.

How to Implement and Leverage VEX

For Vendors, OSS Projects, Developers

Integrate VEX generation in SDLC and release management.
Issue and sign VEX alongside SBOMs with every update.
Adopt CycloneDX or SPDX VEX standards for maximum compatibility.
Keep VEX up to date – timely refresh builds trust with customers.

For Enterprises and Security Teams

Ensure vulnerability management platforms can parse and act on VEX files.
Update procurement requirements to demand VEX and SBOMs.
Train staff to use VEX status and justification in patch triage and compliance reporting.