Forum Discussion

dmarquesgn's avatar
dmarquesgn
Iron Contributor
Apr 03, 2025
Solved

High values CVE's not showing on High priority observations

Hi,

I need some help to understand this logic on Defender EASM. For example, on my "High priority observations", I've got 6 observations, all of those for 1 domain, which is fine.

But then if I go to my inventory and select one other domain, I can see on that host, some CVE's with High priority. Screenshot bellow:

So, why arent' this results being shown on the list of "High priority observations" if they are ranked with High priority. Is there a logic for this?

Thanks

  • This is the key to your question. A CVE might have a "High" or "Critical" CVSS score, but it may not be flagged as a "High Priority Observation" for several reasons:

    • Lack of Known Exploitation: The CVE might be theoretical or require complex, local access to exploit. The "Observations" dashboard prioritizes vulnerabilities that are being actively exploited in the wild.
    • Mitigating Factors: The specific way the technology is configured on your host might make the CVE non-exploitable in your environment. EASM's intelligence may recognize this.
    • Not a "P1" Priority for Microsoft's Security Team: Microsoft curates the observations list. They focus on what they classify as "P1" (Priority 1) issues—the absolute most critical things you should fix right now. A high-severity CVE might be a "P2" or "P3" in their triage system.
    • Focus on Systemic Risk: The "Observations" dashboard is designed to highlight patterns. The 6 observations you see for that one domain might represent a more significant, systemic risk (e.g., an entire subdomain running outdated, vulnerable infrastructure) than a single CVE on an otherwise isolated host.
    •  

1 Reply

  • This is the key to your question. A CVE might have a "High" or "Critical" CVSS score, but it may not be flagged as a "High Priority Observation" for several reasons:

    • Lack of Known Exploitation: The CVE might be theoretical or require complex, local access to exploit. The "Observations" dashboard prioritizes vulnerabilities that are being actively exploited in the wild.
    • Mitigating Factors: The specific way the technology is configured on your host might make the CVE non-exploitable in your environment. EASM's intelligence may recognize this.
    • Not a "P1" Priority for Microsoft's Security Team: Microsoft curates the observations list. They focus on what they classify as "P1" (Priority 1) issues—the absolute most critical things you should fix right now. A high-severity CVE might be a "P2" or "P3" in their triage system.
    • Focus on Systemic Risk: The "Observations" dashboard is designed to highlight patterns. The 6 observations you see for that one domain might represent a more significant, systemic risk (e.g., an entire subdomain running outdated, vulnerable infrastructure) than a single CVE on an otherwise isolated host.
    •  

Resources