How to check if packages in RHEL-based Linux distributions have been patched for specific CVEs

Curious to know if your RHEL-based distro has been patched against a specific CVE for a certain installed package? This tutorial shows you how.

CVEs (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures) are constantly being discovered and patched. When discovered, it means a new security flaw exists in either an operating system or a piece of software and should be patched as soon as possible. Fixing the vulnerabilities, of course, is up to the developers. Patching those vulnerabilities, however, is up to the admin (or user). Thing is, you might not know if you're using a piece of software that includes one or more CVEs.  

How do you uncover this information? Do you have to spend hours researching? Not really. In fact, all you need to know is the CVE you're looking for and the piece of software it affects. With those two bits of information in hand, you can quickly discover if what's installed on your Red Hat Enterprise Linux-based distribution contains that vulnerability.