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The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has launched a National Vulnerabilities Database--or NVD--to aid software administrators in securing computer systems against attack. The database, which went online to the public in August, serves as a single point of encyclopedic-level information regarding points of vulnerability in both commercial and open-source software that could be exploited by hackers and others.
"Every kind of software imaginable is included in the database," says Peter Mell, senior computer scientist and NIST NVD project lead. As of mid-September, the database identifies more than 12,600 known vulnerabilities, with new ones being added constantly. More than a half-million users accessed the database...