SCAP: Important Protocol - Security Content Automation Protocol

Security Content Automation Protocol (SCAP - pronounced "ess CAP" ) is a very important security protocol that is being embraced by a number of government agencies.

Wikipedia has a nice overview I would encourage everyone to check out:

SCAP Components

• Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE)
• Common Configuration Enumeration (CCE)
• Common Platform Enumeration (CPE)
• Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS)
• Extensible Configuration Checklist Description Format (XCCDF)
• Open Vulnerability and Assessment Language (OVAL)

These components can be used to build products that have SCAP Capabilities: