diff --git a/application/cmd/cre_main.py b/application/cmd/cre_main.py
index ead5a428..4c321ea5 100644
--- a/application/cmd/cre_main.py
+++ b/application/cmd/cre_main.py
@@ -61,6 +61,7 @@ def register_node(node: defs.Node, collection: db.Node_collection) -> db.Node:
             defs.Standard.__name__,
             defs.Code.__name__,
             defs.Tool.__name__,
+            defs.Attack.__name__,
         ]:
             # if a node links another node it is likely that a writer wants to reference something
             # in that case, find which of the two nodes has at least one CRE attached to it and link both to the parent CRE
@@ -183,6 +184,7 @@ def parse_file(
             defs.Credoctypes.Standard.value,
             defs.Credoctypes.Code.value,
             defs.Credoctypes.Tool.value,
+            defs.Credoctypes.Attack.value,
         ):
             # document = defs.Standard(**contents)
             doctype = contents.get("doctype")
@@ -192,7 +194,11 @@ def parse_file(
                 else (
                     defs.Code
                     if doctype == defs.Credoctypes.Code.value
-                    else defs.Tool if doctype == defs.Credoctypes.Tool.value else None
+                    else (
+                        defs.Tool
+                        if doctype == defs.Credoctypes.Tool.value
+                        else defs.Attack
+                    )
                 )
             )
             document = from_dict(
diff --git a/application/database/db.py b/application/database/db.py
index 35cc444a..76405774 100644
--- a/application/database/db.py
+++ b/application/database/db.py
@@ -1494,7 +1494,11 @@ def add_node(
             logger.info(
                 f"knew of node {entry.name}:{entry.section_id}:{entry.section}:{entry.link} ,updating"
             )
-            if node.section and node.section != entry.section:
+            if (
+                hasattr(node, "section")
+                and node.section
+                and node.section != entry.section
+            ):
                 entry.section = node.section
             entry.link = node.hyperlink
             self.session.commit()
@@ -1653,7 +1657,7 @@ def add_link(
         )
         if entry:
             logger.debug(
-                f"knew of link {node.name}:{node.section}"
+                f"knew of link {node.name}:{getattr(node, 'section', 'None')}"
                 f"=={cre.name} of type {entry.type},"
                 f"updating type to {ltype.value}"
             )
@@ -1663,7 +1667,7 @@ def add_link(
         else:
             logger.debug(
                 f"did not know of link {node.id})"
-                f"{node.name}:{node.section}=={cre.id}){cre.name}"
+                f"{node.name}:{getattr(node, 'section', 'None')}=={cre.id}){cre.name}"
                 " ,adding"
             )
             self.session.add(Links(type=ltype.value, cre=cre.id, node=node.id))
@@ -1950,6 +1954,8 @@ def dbNodeFromNode(doc: cre_defs.Node) -> Optional[Node]:
         return dbNodeFromCode(doc)
     elif doc.doctype == cre_defs.Credoctypes.Tool:
         return dbNodeFromTool(doc)
+    elif doc.doctype == cre_defs.Credoctypes.Attack:
+        return dbNodeFromAttack(doc)
     else:
         return None
 
@@ -2041,6 +2047,13 @@ def nodeFromDB(dbnode: Node) -> cre_defs.Node:
             tags=tags,
             description=dbnode.description,
         )
+    elif dbnode.ntype == cre_defs.Attack.__name__:
+        return cre_defs.Attack(
+            name=dbnode.name,
+            hyperlink=dbnode.link,
+            tags=tags,
+            description=dbnode.description,
+        )
     else:
         raise ValueError(
             f"Db node {dbnode.name} has an unrecognised ntype {dbnode.ntype}"
@@ -2140,3 +2153,17 @@ def gap_analysis(
         )
     logger.info(f"stored gapa analysis for {'>>>'.join(node_names)}, successfully")
     return (node_names, grouped_paths, extra_paths_dict)
+
+
+def dbNodeFromAttack(attack: cre_defs.Node) -> Node:
+    attack = cast(cre_defs.Attack, attack)
+    tags = ""
+    if attack.tags:
+        tags = ",".join(attack.tags)
+    return Node(
+        name=attack.name,
+        ntype=attack.doctype.value,
+        tags=tags,
+        description=attack.description,
+        link=attack.hyperlink,
+    )
diff --git a/application/defs/cre_defs.py b/application/defs/cre_defs.py
index 5edf7121..10e78f96 100644
--- a/application/defs/cre_defs.py
+++ b/application/defs/cre_defs.py
@@ -179,6 +179,7 @@ class Credoctypes(str, Enum, metaclass=EnumMetaWithContains):
     Standard = "Standard"
     Tool = "Tool"
     Code = "Code"
+    Attack = "Attack"
 
     @staticmethod
     def from_str(typ: str) -> "Credoctypes":
@@ -526,3 +527,8 @@ def __hash__(self) -> int:
 @dataclass(eq=False)
 class Code(Node):
     doctype: Credoctypes = Credoctypes.Code
+
+
+@dataclass(eq=False)
+class Attack(Node):
+    doctype: Credoctypes = Credoctypes.Attack
diff --git a/application/manual_seed_attacks.py b/application/manual_seed_attacks.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..55ad6c17
--- /dev/null
+++ b/application/manual_seed_attacks.py
@@ -0,0 +1,151 @@
+import os
+import sys
+import logging
+
+# Ensure application matches the import path
+sys.path.append(os.getcwd())
+
+from application.database import db
+from application.defs import cre_defs as defs
+from application.cmd.cre_main import db_connect
+from application.config import CMDConfig
+from application import create_app
+
+# Import our new utility
+from application.utils.attack_mapper import link_attack_to_cre_by_cwe
+
+logging.basicConfig()
+logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
+logger.setLevel(logging.INFO)
+
+
+def seed_cwe_structure(collection):
+    """Mocks the existing CWE->CRE structure if it doesn't exist."""
+    print("\n--- Seeding Mock CWE Structure ---")
+
+    # 1. Create a CRE "Input Validation" (Mock)
+    cre = defs.CRE(
+        name="Input Validation (Mock)",
+        id="999-999",
+        description="Mitigation for input attacks",
+    )
+    db_cre = collection.add_cre(cre)
+    cre.id = db_cre.id  # Use DB PK (UUID) for linking
+    print(f"  Added/Found CRE: {cre.name}")
+
+    # 2. Create CWE-22 (Standard)
+    cwe = defs.Standard(
+        name="CWE-22",
+        section="Path Traversal",
+        hyperlink="https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/22.html",
+    )
+    db_cwe = collection.add_node(cwe)
+    cwe.id = db_cwe.id  # Use DB PK (UUID) for linking
+    print(f"  Added/Found CWE: {cwe.name}")
+
+    # 3. Link CWE -> CRE
+    # add_link(cre, node)
+    collection.add_link(cre=cre, node=cwe, ltype=defs.LinkTypes.Related)
+    print(f"  Linked CWE-22 -> Input Validation")
+
+
+def seed_attacks():
+    # Database path
+    db_path = os.path.abspath("standards_cache.sqlite")
+    print(f"Connecting to DB at {db_path}...")
+
+    # Setup context
+    conf = CMDConfig(db_uri=db_path)
+    app = create_app(conf=conf)
+    app_context = app.app_context()
+    app_context.push()
+
+    collection = db.Node_collection()
+
+    # Step 0: Ensure CWE infrastructure exists
+    seed_cwe_structure(collection)
+
+    print("\n--- Seeding Attacks ---")
+    # Define Attacks with Descriptions containing CWEs
+    attacks = [
+        defs.Attack(
+            name="Path Traversal",
+            hyperlink="https://owasp.org/www-community/attacks/Path_Traversal",
+            tags=["OWASP", "Attack"],
+            description="The Path Traversal attack technique allows... Related CWEs: CWE-22.",
+        ),
+        defs.Attack(
+            name="SQL Injection",
+            hyperlink="https://owasp.org/www-community/attacks/SQL_Injection",
+            tags=["OWASP", "Attack"],
+            description="SQL Injection attacks... Related CWEs: CWE-89.",
+            # Note: CWE-89 is not mocked above, so this should NOT link, testing negative case/robustness
+        ),
+    ]
+
+    # Register Attacks
+    for attack in attacks:
+        # Idempotency Check
+        existing = collection.get_nodes(name=attack.name, ntype=defs.Attack.__name__)
+        if existing:
+            # Update description to ensure we test parsing
+            if existing[0].description != attack.description:
+                print(f"  Updating description for {attack.name}")
+                # We can use add_node to update
+                collection.add_node(attack)
+            else:
+                print(f"  Skipping existing: {attack.name}")
+        else:
+            db_node = collection.add_node(attack)
+            print(f"  Added: {attack.name}")
+
+        # Ensure attack.id is the DB UUID for linking
+        db_node_obj = (
+            collection.session.query(db.Node)
+            .filter(db.Node.name == attack.name)
+            .first()
+        )
+        if db_node_obj:
+            attack.id = db_node_obj.id
+
+        # --- PHASE 2: AUTO LINKING ---
+        print(f"  Running Auto-Linking for {attack.name}...")
+        linked_cres = link_attack_to_cre_by_cwe(attack, collection)
+        if linked_cres:
+            print(f"  ✅ Linked to: {linked_cres}")
+        else:
+            print(f"  (No links created)")
+
+    # Verification
+    print("\n--- Final Verification ---")
+    # Verify Path Traversal is linked to "Input Validation (Mock)"
+    # We can check by fetching the CRE and listing its links
+
+    cre_nodes = collection.get_CREs(name="Input Validation (Mock)")
+    if not cre_nodes:
+        print("❌ Mock CRE not found during verification!")
+        sys.exit(1)
+
+    mock_cre = cre_nodes[0]
+    # Verify it links to "Path Traversal"
+    found_link = False
+    for link in mock_cre.links:
+        # link.document is the linked node
+        # We need to check if it's our attack
+        if (
+            link.document.name == "Path Traversal"
+            and link.document.doctype == defs.Credoctypes.Attack
+        ):
+            found_link = True
+            print(
+                f"✅ Verified Link: CRE '{mock_cre.name}' <--> Attack '{link.document.name}'"
+            )
+            break
+
+    if not found_link:
+        print("❌ Verification Failed: Link between CRE and Attack NOT found.")
+        sys.exit(1)
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    seed_attacks()
diff --git a/application/utils/attack_mapper.py b/application/utils/attack_mapper.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..655cccce
--- /dev/null
+++ b/application/utils/attack_mapper.py
@@ -0,0 +1,82 @@
+import re
+import logging
+from typing import List, Optional
+from application.database import db
+from application.defs import cre_defs as defs
+
+logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
+
+
+def extract_cwe_ids(text: str) -> List[str]:
+    """Finds all occurrences of 'CWE-<numbers>' in the text."""
+    if not text:
+        return []
+    # Match CWE-123, CWE: 123, etc. strictly CWE-\d+ for now as per plan
+    matches = re.findall(r"CWE-(\d+)", text, re.IGNORECASE)
+    return [f"CWE-{m}" for m in matches]
+
+
+def link_attack_to_cre_by_cwe(
+    attack: defs.Attack, collection: db.Node_collection
+) -> List[str]:
+    """
+    Links the Attack node to CREs that are already linked to the CWEs mentioned in the Attack's description.
+    Returns a list of linked CRE names/IDs.
+    """
+    linked_cres = []
+    cwe_ids = extract_cwe_ids(attack.description)
+
+    if not cwe_ids:
+        return []
+
+    for cwe_name in set(cwe_ids):
+        # 1. Find the CWE Node
+        # CWEs are Standards.
+        cwe_nodes = collection.get_nodes(name=cwe_name)
+        if not cwe_nodes:
+            continue
+
+        cwe_node = cwe_nodes[0]
+
+        # 2. Find CREs linked to this CWE
+        # This requires querying the Links table.
+        # Node_collection doesn't expose get_links_for_node directly?
+        # We can access the session or use get_CREs with include_only?
+        # get_CREs doesn't filter by "linked to node X".
+        # We will iterate manually or use db.session if available.
+        # collection.session is likely the db.session
+
+        links = (
+            collection.session.query(db.Links)
+            .filter(db.Links.node == cwe_node.id)
+            .all()
+        )
+
+        for link in links:
+            cre_id = link.cre
+
+            # Use get_CREs by internal_id first
+            cre_list = collection.get_CREs(internal_id=cre_id)
+
+            if not cre_list:
+                # Fallback: Maybe the link stores external_id?
+                cre_list = collection.get_CREs(external_id=cre_id)
+
+            if cre_list:
+                cre = cre_list[0]
+                # HACK: Retrieve the underlying DB UUID to ensure Links table uses PK
+                # get_CREs returns defs.CRE where .id is usually .external_id
+                # But Links table FK points to .id (UUID)
+                db_cre = (
+                    collection.session.query(db.CRE)
+                    .filter(db.CRE.external_id == cre.id)
+                    .first()
+                )
+                if db_cre:
+                    if db_cre:
+                        cre.id = db_cre.id
+
+                collection.add_link(cre=cre, node=attack, ltype=defs.LinkTypes.Related)
+                linked_cres.append(f"{cre.name} (via {cwe_name})")
+
+    return linked_cres