ExploitDB-JSON

Generates a JSON file indexing exploits from exploit-database/exploitdb by CVE (or any other identifier found in the codes column, e.g. OSVDB-xxxx), based on the repository's files_exploits.csv file.

Output format

{
  "CVE-2009-3699": [
    { "id": "16929", "type": "dos" }
  ],
  "OSVDB-58726": [
    { "id": "16929", "type": "dos" }
  ]
}

• Each key corresponds to one code from the codes column (that column can contain several codes separated by ;, e.g. CVE-2009-3699;OSVDB-58726: in that case the exploit appears under both keys).
• Each value is a list of {id, type} objects (id = the id column from the CSV, type = the type column from the CSV), since several exploits can share the same CVE.
• Rows with no code at all in the codes column are skipped.

Local usage

# Download the CSV from GitLab
curl -O https://gitlab.com/exploit-database/exploitdb/-/raw/master/files_exploits.csv

# Generate the JSON
python3 scripts/build_index.py files_exploits.csv exploits_by_cve.json

Automated pipeline (GitHub Actions)

The .github/workflows/update.yml workflow:

1. Runs every 6 hours (schedule) or can be triggered manually (workflow_dispatch).
2. Downloads the latest version of files_exploits.csv from GitLab.
3. Regenerates exploits_by_cve.json.
4. Commits and pushes only if the content actually changed.

Why periodic polling instead of a real "push trigger"?

GitLab and GitHub are two independent platforms: a git push to the exploit-database repository on GitLab cannot natively notify GitHub. Two options exist:

• What's provided here (the simplest one): a GitHub Actions cron that periodically checks the source and only commits if the generated JSON differs from the previous one (so no unnecessary noise in the history). Adjust the frequency in cron: "0 */6 * * *" to fit your needs (e.g. "0 * * * *" for hourly).
• A more reactive alternative (requires control over a GitLab CI pipeline, which isn't the case here since you don't own the exploitdb repository): set up a GitLab CI job that calls the GitHub API (repository_dispatch) on every push to files_exploits.csv. Since you don't control the source repository, this option doesn't apply here.

Setup

1. Create a GitHub repository and copy these files into it (scripts/build_index.py, .github/workflows/update.yml).
2. Under Settings → Actions → General → Workflow permissions, enable "Read and write permissions" so the workflow can commit.
3. (Optional) Trigger the workflow manually once via the Actions tab (workflow_dispatch) to generate the first exploits_by_cve.json.