Expect the Unexpected: How to Reduce Zero-Day Risk
Security teams can't prevent zero-day vulnerabilities, but they can prepare themselves for an effective response.
Modern enterprises have sprawling tech stacks with hundreds or thousands of endpoints. The opportunities for vulnerabilities are vast. Sometimes these vulnerabilities are unknown to system and device developers and users: zero-days. If threat actors discover this type of vulnerability before it can be remedied, they can exploit it.
In 2023, the Zero-Day Vulnerability Tracking Project reported a total of 97 discovered zero-day vulnerabilities. Not all zero-days end up being exploited in the wild, but some are, and to great effect. The fallout from the exploitation of a zero-day vulnerability in the MOVEit file transfer tool unfolded over the course of 2023, with more and more victims coming to light.
Zero-days, by definition, cannot be predicted. They are unknown vulnerabilities that have yet to be patched. CISOs and their teams may not be able to foresee exactly when the latest zero-day vulnerability will arise, but they can recognize this security risk and prepare a plan of action.
Where Zero-Days Occur
Zero-days could potentially pop up anywhere in an organization’s tech stack, which for larger organizations is a complicated sprawl. Security teams need to consider where zero-day vulnerabilities could be found in third-party software and in software that has been developed in-house.