What is a Zero-day Attack and Effective Methods to Protect It?

A zero-day attack is a term used to describe an unknown security vulnerability in software, that is, a threat that has not yet been fixed or made public. 

The name of the attack originated from the publication of problem fixes being called “day one”, so when the criminal is able to discover the flaws before the release of the fix, he will be acting before “day one”, then “day zero”. 

The vulnerabilities can be found by hackers, security companies, software vendors, or users themselves. When they are discovered by criminals, an exploit will be kept secret as long as possible, circulating among hackers until the software or security companies become aware of the problem or the attacks that target it. 

Since the vulnerability is not known in advance, the criminals' actions often occur without the knowledge of the device's users. Therefore, a zero-day failure is considered an important component when designing an application to be considered efficient and safe. 

The Main Features of Zero-day Attacks

• Hacking typically occurs between the time the vulnerability is first found and exploited and the time that application developers release the solution needed to counter exploitation.
• Zero-day attacks are capable of devastating a network, exploiting the vulnerabilities of the applications involved.
• They are not always viruses and can take other forms of malware, such as Trojans and worms. 
• Updates to the latest anti-malware software are often recommended, although they fail to provide the necessary protection against this type of danger. 

Effective Methods to Protect Yourself 

• Different access and restriction controls including virtual LANs can provide protection against zero-day attacks. 
• Single packet authorization can help provide effective protection on a network with fewer users from zero-day attacks. 
• Restrict privileges to user accounts. This helps to mitigate the impact of possible attacks. 

Once the Zero Day fault is discovered and publicized, the program developer will release a fix as soon as possible. Therefore, the best way to protect your company is to keep all software installed and the operating system always up to date. 

In addition, the antivirus must also be updated, because if such a breach is used to spread viruses, the network will be protected from them until the failure is repaired. 

The firewall is essential against this attack, as it blocks connections that reach devices, thus preventing the system from being damaged. All employees and users must also know how to use the network, never open attachments from unknown emails and suspicious files.