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vulnerability

vul-ner-uh-BIL-ih-tee /ˌvʌl.nər.əˈbɪl.ə.ti/

nounB2GRESATTOEFLIELTS

formaltechnical

A flaw, weakness, or loophole in a system's design, implementation, or operation that could be exploited by an attacker.

A weakness itself—not the attack itself. Without an exploit or threat actor, a vulnerability remains an unexploited risk.

The story behind the word. Derived from Latin 'vulnerabilis', from 'vulnerare' (to wound), which comes from 'vulnus' (a wound). Originally used to describe a soldier whose armor had a physical gap where a sword could strike. In modern computing, software flaws are viewed as gaps in digital armor that leave systems susceptible to cyber wounds.

Word relationships

weakness: Weakness is a general term for lack of strength; vulnerability specifically implies susceptibility to harm or exploitation.
flaw: A flaw is an imperfection in design or build; a vulnerability is a flaw that introduces security risk.

invulnerability: The state of being impossible to harm or attack.
robustness: The quality of being strong and resilient against attacks.

Commonly confused with

malware: A vulnerability is a hole or weakness in software; malware is malicious code designed to pass through or exploit that hole.

Word family

vulnerable (adjective): Susceptible to physical or emotional attack or harm.
vulnerably (adverb): In a vulnerable manner.

Collocations

security vulnerability
exploit a vulnerability
patch a vulnerability
zero-day vulnerability

Example sentences

"Developers released a critical patch after discovering a zero-day vulnerability in the web browser's code." Software Patching

Memory hook

VULNERABLE means capable of being VULNER-WOUNDED. A gap where wounds can enter.

When not to use

Do not confuse with an active attack or breach; a vulnerability is the underlying weakness that makes an attack possible.

Fun facts

Companies pay bounty hunters hundreds of thousands of dollars through 'Bug Bounty' programs to find vulnerabilities before cybercriminals do!