Cybersecurity definition
What is CWE?
CWE stands for Common Weakness Enumeration.
By Cyber Tool Stack Editorial TeamUpdated
Definition
A catalog of general categories of security weaknesses in software design or code — like SQL injection or improper input validation — as distinct from CVE, which tracks specific, individual instances of a vulnerability in a specific product.
Where CWE fits in the security landscape
These beginner lessons use this term while explaining the surrounding security control.
Related cybersecurity terms
CVECommon Vulnerabilities and ExposuresA public catalog that assigns a unique identifier to a specific, publicly known software or hardware vulnerability, so vendors, researchers, and tools can all refer to the same flaw unambiguously.OWASP Top 10A regularly updated, community-researched ranking of the most critical web application security risks, published by the OWASP Foundation and widely used as a baseline checklist for secure development. The current edition, OWASP Top 10:2025, was the first major update since 2021.