What Is a CVE? And Why SMEs Must Care (2025 Guide)

A Simple, Business-Friendly Explanation for Non-Technical Teams

When a cyber attack happens, most SMEs assume it came from a “sophisticated hacker.”

But the truth is far simpler:

Over 90% of attacks on small and medium businesses come from CVEs — vulnerabilities that are already publicly known.

This means attackers aren’t discovering new exploits.

They’re simply abusing weaknesses that already exist in your website, plugins, frameworks, or server configuration.

If you don’t understand CVE, you won’t understand how hackers target your business.

What Exactly Is a CVE? (Simple Definition)

CVE stands for Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures.

It is a global public list of known software vulnerabilities that attackers can exploit.

Examples of what might appear as a CVE:

• A WordPress plugin bug

• A PHP/Laravel vulnerability

• A misconfigured server endpoint

• An outdated JavaScript dependency

• A weakness in your CMS theme

Each CVE includes:

• A unique ID (e.g., CVE-2024-12345)

• A description of the vulnerability

• How attackers can exploit it

• The severity score

• Whether a patch/fix exists

In short:

If your system has a known CVE, hackers already know how to break in.

Why CVE Matters for SMEs (Not Just Big Companies)

Many SMEs think:

“Why would hackers target us? We’re small.”

But hackers don’t manually choose targets.

They automatically scan the entire internet, searching for websites with known CVEs — the same way Google indexes websites.

If your website has:

• Outdated plugins

• Old frameworks

• Expired components

• Unpatched code

• Exposed dev endpoints

…then it likely contains one or more CVEs that cyber attackers can exploit instantly.

Reason #1 — 90% of SME attacks come from known CVEs

Attackers don’t need to invent new hacks.

They simply look for websites that failed to patch public vulnerabilities.

Reason #2 — SMEs rarely monitor or update their tech stack

Most SMEs don’t have cybersecurity teams.

Updates are often delayed, ignored, or forgotten.

Reason #3 — One CVE is enough to cause:

• Data leaks

• Website defacement

• Ransomware

• Loss of customer trust

• Procurement/tender rejections

This is why CVE awareness is now a required skill for business owners — not just IT teams.

Examples of Common CVEs That Hurt SMEs

Here are real-world CVE types that commonly affect SMEs:

1. Outdated WordPress plugins

One outdated plugin with a public exploit can give attackers full admin access.

2. PHP / Laravel vulnerabilities

Unpatched framework versions expose session hijacking or file upload bypass.

3. Misconfigured servers

Ports like 22, 3306, or 5432 left open = easy entry point.

4. JS libraries with known CVEs

Many SMEs never update frontend dependencies.

5. Exposed development endpoints

Staging/dev links accidentally left public often contain critical CVEs.

These are not rare problems.

They are extremely common — and extremely dangerous.

The Fastest Way to Protect Your Business: Automated CVE Scanning

The most practical solution for SMEs is not hiring consultants or building a security team.

It is simply using an automated CVE scanner that can:

• Detect outdated plugins

• Identify vulnerable components

• Map known CVEs to your website

• Score risks by severity

• Provide clear recommendations

• Generate tender-ready PDF reports

This is exactly what Vulnersight does.

It gives SMEs a fast, affordable, and accurate way to check for CVEs — without any technical knowledge.