In last-minute reversal, US agency extends support for cyber vulnerability database

US officials will extend support for 11 months for a database of cyber weaknesses that plays a critical role in fighting bugs and hacks, a spokesperson said on Wednesday, just as the funding was due to run out. The expected cut-off of payments for the non-profit MITRE Corp‘s Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures database had spread alarm across the cybersecurity community.

The US-backed database acts as a catalog for cyber weaknesses and allows IT administrators to quickly flag and triage the different bugs and hacks discovered daily. The last-minute…