Schema path: CategoryType
A category is a collection of weaknesses based on some common characteristic or attribute. The shared attribute may be any number of things including, but not limited to, environment (J2EE, .NET), functional area (authentication, cryptography) and the relevant resource (credentials management, certificate issues). A Category is used primarily as an organizational mechanism for CWE and should not be mapped to by external sources.
The required Summary element contains the key points that define the category and helps the user understand what the category is attempting to be. The optional Relationships element is used to define relationships (Member_Of and Has_Member) with other weaknesses, categories, and views. The optional Taxonomy_Mappings element is used to relate this category to similar categories in taxomomies outside of CWE. The optional References element is used to provide further reading and insight into this category. This element should be used when the category is based on external sources or projects. The optional Notes element is used to provide additional comments or clarifications that cannot be captured using the other elements of the category. The optional Content_History element is used to keep track of the original author of the category and any subsequent modifications to the content. This provides a means of contacting the authors and modifiers for clarifying ambiguities, or in merging overlapping contributions.
The required ID attribute provides a unique identifier for the category. It is meant to be static for the lifetime of the category. If the category becomes deprecated, the ID should not be reused, and a placeholder for the deprecated category should be left in the catalog. The required Name attribute provides a descriptive title used to give the reader an idea of what characteristics this category represents. All words in the name should be capitalized except for articles and prepositions unless they begin or end the name. The required Status attribute defines the maturity of the information for this category. Please refer to the StatusEnumeration simple type for a list of valid values and their meanings.