Reading a CVE advisory: what actually matters for your risk

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A CVE identifier by itself doesn't tell you whether you're exposed. Read the advisory for four things.

The four questions

Affected versions — is the vulnerable range one you actually run? Check your lockfile, not your intent.
Attack vector — network vs local, and whether it needs authentication or user interaction. A network, unauthenticated RCE is a different Tuesday than a local DoS.
Reachability — do you call the vulnerable code path, or merely ship the dependency? Most shipped vulnerabilities are never reached.
Fixed version — and whether that upgrade is safe for you to take now.

On CVSS

CVSS is a starting point, not a verdict. A 9.8 you don't reach is lower real risk than a 6.5 on your hot path. Prioritize by reachability and exposure, then patch.

Triage workflow

osv-scanner --lockfile package-lock.json   # what actually affects your pinned deps
# then, per hit: confirm version range, check if you import the affected symbol, plan the bump