Transfer Report¶

PhD Transfer Report Documentation¶

This section contains the original PhD transfer report completed in 2025, which established the foundation for the expanded multi-vendor vulnerability lifecycle analysis.

Transfer Report Access¶

Original Research Scope¶

The transfer report established the research foundation with:

• Focus: Microsoft vulnerability ecosystem analysis
• Timeframe: 1999-2024 vulnerability data
• Dataset: 200K+ CVEs, 45K+ exploits, 10K Microsoft patched CVEs
• Methodology: Statistical analysis and temporal pattern identification

Key Contributions¶

Methodological Framework¶

• Established systematic approach to vulnerability lifecycle analysis
• Developed metrics for measuring exploit-patch race dynamics
• Created reproducible methodology for temporal analysis

Empirical Findings¶

• Documented Microsoft vulnerability patterns over 25+ years
• Identified seasonal patterns in vulnerability disclosure
• Quantified exploit timing relative to disclosure and patching

Research Validation¶

• Demonstrated feasibility of large-scale vulnerability analysis
• Validated data collection and processing methodologies
• Established foundation for multi-vendor expansion

Original Findings¶

The transfer report documented several key findings that have been validated and extended in the current research:

Vulnerability Distribution Patterns¶

• Annual CVE growth trends showing exponential increase 2017-2021
• Severity distribution patterns across CVSS versions
• Product and vendor vulnerability concentration

Exploit Timeline Analysis¶

• Time-to-exploit patterns for Microsoft vulnerabilities
• Relationship between CVSS scores and exploitation likelihood
• Seasonal patterns in exploit publication

Patch Response Analysis¶

• Microsoft patch response times by severity level
• Relationship between exploitation status and patch priority
• Evolution of Microsoft security response over time

Research Evolution¶

The transfer report provided the foundation for the expanded research:

From: Microsoft-focused ecosystem analysis
To: Multi-vendor comparative analysis

From: 200K CVEs and single vendor patches
To: 280K+ CVEs and 75K+ multi-vendor patches

From: Descriptive statistical analysis
To: Advanced modeling and machine learning approaches

From: Single ecosystem insights
To: Commercial vs. open source comparative framework

The transfer report established the methodological rigor and empirical foundation that enables the comprehensive multi-vendor analysis presented in the current research.