With cyber-attacks on the rise, protecting your business from security breaches is crucial. One of the most dangerous threats to your company is a zero-day exploit. For maximum protection, you must understand the complexities of this cyber-attack and take steps to prevent it.
This helpful guide will show you how to identify and combat zero-day exploits to protect sensitive data.
What Is a Zero-Day Exploit?
A zero-day exploit is a cyber-attack targeting a software’s operating system vulnerability. The main issue with this threat is that software and antivirus vendors don’t know the technology is vulnerable. This gives malicious actors a chance to swoop in and breach the system.
Assessing Your Risk
Zero-day exploits can target operating systems, web browsers, and hardware, among other system components. Hackers may also exploit vulnerabilities within applications you open through an email attachment. Any user is at risk for this type of cybersecurity breach, but the most common targets are as follows:
- Government departments
- Individuals or groups who threaten nation states
- Large corporations
How To Combat Zero-Day Exploits
Because of the nature of zero-day exploits, it’s hard to see them coming. However, you can do a few things to boost your threat protection. Consider the following tactics so your business can combat zero-day exploits.
Vulnerability Scanning
Security vendors can detect some zero-day exploits through vulnerability scanning. This practice simulates different attacks on software codes and conducts code reviews. The main goal is to find any new vulnerabilities the system is at risk of after a software update.
Depending on what your security vendor finds during the scan, you must take action within your business to minimize the threat. Have your team perform code reviews and clean up the code to avoid potential exploits. By acting quickly, you can stay one step ahead of hackers and protect your software.
Software Patching
If your organization detects some exploits within your system, you can perform software patching and upgrades to reduce your risk of a cyber-attack. While software patching is an effective way to protect your business, it does have a few drawbacks.
You may be unable to deploy security patches as quickly as you’d like since software vendors can take a while to discover any vulnerabilities. Once they do, you’ll need to wait for them to develop a patch and then distribute it to your company. The overall length of the process impacts your risk level of a zero-day exploit.
Create a Response Plan
One of the best ways to combat zero-day exploits is to establish a plan that outlines your attack response. Experts suggest crafting a plan that includes the following:
- Risk assessment and plan preparation
- Identification processes
- Threat containment
- Attack eradication and prevention
- System recovery
- Incident review and future preparation
The tight plan allows your company to effectively combat zero-day exploits and keep yourself safe from future cyber-attacks. Don’t wait until it’s too late to get your plan settled.
