implementing-epss-score-for-vulnerability-prioritization

# Implementing EPSS Score for Vulnerability Prioritization ## Overview The Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS) is a data-driven model developed by FIRST (Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams) that estimates the probability of a CVE being exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. EPSS produces scores from 0.0 to 1.0 (0% to 100%) using machine learning trained on real-world exploitation data. Unlike CVSS which measures severity, EPSS measures likelihood of exploitation, making it essential for risk-based vulnerability prioritization. ## When to Use - When deploying or configuring implementing epss score for vulnerability prioritization capabilities in your environment - When establishing security controls aligned to compliance requirements - When building or improving security architecture for this domain - When conducting security assessments that require this implementation ## Prerequisites - Python 3.9+ with `requests`, `pandas`, `matplotlib` - Access to FIRST EPSS API (https://api.first.org/data/v1/epss) - Vulnerability scan results with CVE identifiers - Optional: NVD API key for CVSS enrichment ## EPSS API Usage ### Query Single CVE ```bash # Get EPSS score for a specific CVE curl -s "https://api.first.org/data/v1/epss?cve=CVE-2024-3400" | python3 -m json.tool # Response: # { # "status": "OK", # "status-code": 200, # "version": "1.0", # "total": 1, # "data": [ # { # "cve": "CVE-2024-3400", # "epss": "0.95732", # ...