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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsVEX communicates whether a specific product is affected by a vulnerability, and why. CSAF is a broader framework for creating and exchanging structured security advisories covering products, vulnerabilities, impact, and remediation. CSAF’s VEX profile lets an organization express that focused VEX use case within a CSAF advisory—but VEX and CSAF are not interchangeable terms.
What is the difference between VEX and CSAF?
| Question | VEX | CSAF |
|---|---|---|
| Primary purpose | Communicate whether and why a particular product is affected by a vulnerability. | Create, update, distribute, and exchange structured security advisories about products, vulnerabilities, impact, and remediation. |
| Scope | Focused vulnerability-status information, including product-specific context useful in workflows involving software bills of materials (SBOMs). | A broader advisory framework with profiles for defined use cases, including VEX. |
| Representation | VEX describes an information exchange purpose; the term alone does not identify one serialization. | Specifies a JSON security-advisory language and related structures. |
| Relationship | The communication goal: provide a product-specific vulnerability status and rationale. | One way to structure that communication is its VEX profile, which sets required advisory elements and status requirements. |
OASIS describes CSAF as a framework for interoperable exchange of security advisories as structured information. The CSAF 2.0 specification says VEX’s main purpose is to state whether and why a certain product is affected by a vulnerability. Read the CSAF 2.0 specification.
Is VEX part of CSAF?
CSAF 2.0 defines a VEX profile: a set of requirements for using a CSAF advisory to communicate VEX information. That makes VEX a supported use case within CSAF, not a synonym for the whole framework. Nor does the relationship mean every VEX statement must be serialized as CSAF.
In practical terms, a team can use VEX as the communication objective and CSAF as the representation for a particular advisory workflow. If a supplier publishes VEX using a different implementation, a receiving organization should check that its tools can interpret the producer’s format and product identifiers.
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What does a CSAF VEX advisory need to include?
Core requirements in the CSAF 2.0 VEX profile
A conforming CSAF 2.0 VEX document must meet CSAF Base profile requirements and include a product tree, vulnerabilities, at least one product status, a vulnerability identifier such as a CVE (or another identifier), and vulnerability notes. The status must identify a product as fixed, known affected, known not affected, or under investigation. See the CSAF 2.0 VEX profile.
Why “not affected” needs an explanation
A status on its own may not tell a recipient why the product is considered safe from a particular vulnerability. In the CSAF 2.1 Committee Specification Draft 03 (CSD03), each product listed as known_not_affected must have an impact statement: either a machine-readable flag or a human-readable justification in threats. This is wording in a draft, not a final CSAF 2.1 standard requirement. Read the CSAF 2.1 CSD03 text.
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For an implementation, identify the product and vulnerability, select the appropriate status, and provide the supporting explanation required by the profile and version being used. Validate against the exact CSAF version and schema accepted by your trading partners; profile compatibility is a practical interoperability concern, not a separate OASIS selection matrix.
When should an organization use VEX or CSAF?
- To answer whether a product is affected by a particular vulnerability, and why: VEX is the focused communication use case. Include the specific product, vulnerability, status, and rationale.
- To exchange a broader machine-readable advisory: CSAF is the wider framework when the advisory needs structured product, vulnerability, impact, and remediation information.
- To publish product-specific status in a CSAF advisory: Use the CSAF VEX profile and satisfy its requirements for the applicable version.
- To process supplier statements: Check the producer’s implementation, product identifiers, status vocabulary, justification, and compatibility with your receiving tools.
These options can work together: VEX describes the status information being communicated, while CSAF can structure it as part of a broader advisory exchange.
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Which CSAF version is a standard?
As of 4 October 2026, CSAF 2.0 is the OASIS Standard; it was approved on 18 November 2022. CSAF 2.1 CSD03 is a draft dated 11 September 2026. Its 15-day public-review period ran from 15 through 29 September 2026, but completion of that review does not establish final approval. OASIS identifies 2.1 as the latest public version while distinguishing it from the current working draft; “latest public version” should not be read as “approved standard.”
For the current publication status, consult the OASIS CSAF committee overview and the CSAF 2.1 CSD03 public-review metadata. Status may change after the date above.
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