The National Institute of Standards and Technology has launched a new vulnerability database to help security professionals learn about and correct vulnerabilities.

The database, known as the National Vulnerability Database (NVD), integrates all publicly available U.S. government resources on vulnerabilities and provides links to industry resources, according to NIST. It is built on a dictionary of standardized vulnerability names and descriptions called common vulnerabilities and exposures.

About 300 new vulnerabilities are discovered each month, according to NIST.

Updated daily, the NVD contains information on almost 12,000 vulnerabilities. It allows users to search by a variety of characteristics, including software name and version number; vendor name; and vulnerability type, severity and impact, the agency said. The database can also be used to research the vulnerability history of a product and view vulnerability statistics and trends.

The NVD was developed by researchers in the NIST"s Computer Security Division in conjunction with the Department of Homeland Security"s National Cyber Security Division.