Attacks
Exploit
What is an exploit?
An exploit is the code that actually takes advantage of a weakness. The weakness is the flaw in the program. The exploit is the tool that turns it into access.
The distinction matters when judging risk. A known weakness for which no exploit is circulating is rarely attacked. As soon as a working exploit is publicly available the situation changes, because attackers without skills of their own can then work with it.
For that reason it is not enough to sort weaknesses by severity alone. A medium weakness that is being actively exploited is more urgent than a critical one for which no tool exists.
In practice that means systems reachable from the internet need their updates first. That is where the path between a published exploit and your business is shortest.
All terms in the knowledge base
Legal notice: We are engineers, not lawyers: we cannot and will not make any statements on legal questions. This entry is purely technical, reflects the state of knowledge to the best of our understanding, and is not legal advice; it does not replace review by a qualified lawyer. No guarantee is given as to correctness or completeness; liability arising from the use of this information is excluded to the extent permitted by law. What counts is always the version currently in force at the responsible body, for example dsb.gv.at, nis.gv.at or enisa.europa.eu. AI transparency: parts of this entry may have been created with AI assistance, so errors are possible despite review: please report errors here · how we create content.
From the term to practice
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