EPSS Threshold Gate

Gate ID: epss-threshold

Blocks CVEs with Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS) probability above a configurable threshold. EPSS predicts the likelihood that a CVE will be exploited in the wild within 30 days.

How It Works

For each CVE finding in the release candidate, queries the EPSS score
Compares EPSS probability against the configured threshold
Blocks if any CVE exceeds threshold (or all match in “all must pass” mode)
Provides grace period for newly published CVEs

Configuration

{
  "Policy": {
    "Gates": {
      "EpssThreshold": {
        "Enabled": true,
        "Threshold": 0.6,
        "Mode": "any",
        "GracePeriodDays": 7,
        "RequireReachability": false,
        "Environments": {
          "production": {
            "Threshold": 0.3
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Options

Option	Type	Default	Description
`Enabled`	bool	`true`	Whether the gate is active
`Threshold`	double	`0.6`	EPSS probability threshold (0.0 - 1.0)
`Mode`	string	`any`	`any` = block if any CVE exceeds; `all` = block only if all exceed
`GracePeriodDays`	int?	`null`	Days after CVE publication before enforcing (null = no grace)
`RequireReachability`	bool	`false`	Only evaluate reachable CVEs
`Environments`	dict	`{}`	Per-environment overrides

EPSS Score Interpretation

EPSS Range	Risk Level	Typical Action
0.0 - 0.1	Very Low	Monitor
0.1 - 0.3	Low	Schedule remediation
0.3 - 0.6	Medium	Prioritize remediation
0.6 - 0.9	High	Block or exception required
0.9 - 1.0	Critical	Immediate block

Example Gate Results

Pass:

EPSS threshold check passed. 12 CVE(s) evaluated, all below threshold 0.6

Fail:

EPSS threshold exceeded: CVE-2024-1234 (EPSS: 0.72), CVE-2024-5678 (EPSS: 0.85)

CLI Usage

# Evaluate EPSS gate against image
stella policy evaluate --gate epss-threshold --image myapp:v1.2.3

# Override threshold for testing
stella policy evaluate --gate epss-threshold --threshold 0.9 --image myapp:v1.2.3

Data Source

EPSS scores are fetched from FIRST EPSS via the configured IEpssDataProvider. Scores are cached and updated daily.

Last updated: 2026-01-19.