Did you know ransomware attacks are 50% higher as compared to last year? This is because hackers are making use of this new trick that targets the weakest part of any software and breaks into the system, which is famously known to be the Zero Day threat.
This threat carries some of the most destructive kinds of cyberattacks that make use of system vulnerabilities, which still need to be discovered. And the worst part is that it does not give any warning, which creates a high risk for any company.
Therefore, the best way to tackle this risk is to carry out preventive measures that become a powerful defence against this attack, like adding an extra layer of security using ZTNA or zero trust security. But before that, let’s understand more about zero-day exploit attacks.
Zero-day Attack: Meaning
The funny thing about the Zero-day attack in cyber security is that the term is named in such a way which reflects developers’ vulnerability, i.e., when developers find out that they are under attack, they have “zero days” to fix it. So basically, they are just trying to patch things up while the bad guys are already causing trouble for them.
There is no specific zero-day attack example; this can be anything from exploiting your vulnerability and accessing your most important information to taking control over your entire infrastructure. They can hack your entire security malware or send disguised links in the form of email attachments or documents that pull down your entire system in one go.
This type of attack is system-shaking as it is capable enough to damage your entire system significantly. The latest zero-day attack was carried out by a group of hackers from China, UNC4841, who targeted a security system called Barracuda email gateway in April 2023. They found a hidden problem (zero-day) and used it to break into hundreds of organisations all over the world.
Zero-day Attack Prevention Measures
- Making use of EDR tools, i.e., Endpoint protection software that acts more advanced than traditional antivirus with features like incident quick response and management for vulnerability.
- You can encourage your security team to use tools that have behaviour detection, i.e., machine learning-based detection that helps to identify behaviour patterns rather than keeping focus on traditional signatures.
- You need to train your employees with regard to malicious links and files as it is one of the largest sources of zero-day attacks.
- Suppose something goes wrong with your computer security; having a plan to respond and keeping a safe copy of your data that’s not connected to the internet (air-gapped backup) is crucial these days.
- Keep your system up to date. That is the best kind of patch you can give to your system.
- Add an extra layer of security rather than just relying on solid walls of firewalls; therefore, make use of intelligent tools like zero trust security with Instasafe and do micro-segmentation.
- Prepare your mind to face all sorts of attacks and keep your planning and training updated.
Conclusion
Although one can never be ready against such an attack, by using prudent strategies, you can decrease the level of damage a zero-day attack brings to you or your organisation. So keep scanning the internet for the best malware, watch for the dark web, scrutinise security forums and shield yourself against such vulnerabilities.
