Zero-Day Vulnerabilities: The Unseen Time Bomb In Tech?

The need for effective cybersecurity rises every day in an increasingly aggressive technological world. With sensitive data and financial resources on the line, being hacked has real-life consequences that can’t be risked. Hackers continue to elevate their expertise, and cybersecurity measures must keep up. One of the newest threats putting companies on the line is zero-day vulnerability, and businesses need to be prepared for a potential attack to survive. 

Zero-day vulnerabilities are the unseen time bomb in tech—it’s true! Zero-day is a term that refers to when security teams are unaware of their software vulnerability, leaving them 0 days to work on a security patch or update to resolve the issue before the system is compromised. By definition, a zero-day vulnerability is “an unknown security vulnerability or software flaw that a threat actor can target with a malicious code.” 

This unpredictable wildcard in cybersecurity is a threat many businesses are unprepared for. Actors can strike without warning, leaving companies no time to rally and restore their systems to a stable state. This leaves their data and resources vulnerable to the whims of their attacker. They’re literally ticking time bombs, waiting to compromise the digital information and assets of any applicable victim. 

The depth of this challenge is truly significant, and proactive steps must be taken for businesses to stay ahead of their predators—or they’ll likely become prey. Cybersecurity has taken on a more innovative form to counter zero-day vulnerabilities, exploits, and attacks. Companies like CrowdStrike have upped their game to protect and preserve the cloud workloads of companies concerned with this new type of security risk.

Luckily, cybersecurity experts have developed effective ways to counter zero-day attacks and cover zero-day vulnerabilities. First and foremost comes patch management, which identifies and implements software updates to every relevant device and server. Patches can also include new features and functions. They serve as short-term fixes until a full software update is released. 

Next comes vulnerability management, the ongoing, regular process of identifying, assessing, reporting, managing, and remediating cyber softspots. Devices and servers, workloads, and systems are all taken into account. A comprehensive approach to seeing and securing vulnerabilities is essential to warding off zero-day attacks. With the right threat intelligence, vulnerabilities can be stopped before zero-day. 

Last but not least, a web application firewall (WAF) can be utilized to protect organizations at the application level. This firewall filters, monitors, and analyzes hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) and hypertext transfer protocol secure (HTTPS) traffic between the app and the internet, fending off zero-day exploits and attacks.

Programs like CrowdStrike offer a coordinated defense that can put you in the position you want to be in as a business owner: ahead of the attacker. You can take advantage of their 15-day free trial to see how this extensive prevention and response technology can benefit you. Allow the cybersecurity experts at CrowdStrike to assess any zero-day vulnerabilities in your system so you don’t have to fall victim to an attacker. Evolving with the demands of the ever-expanding technological world is easier than ever before with streamlined, comprehensive services like CrowdStrike that have you covered when you need them most! 

This post was authored by an external contributor and does not represent Benzinga's opinions and has not been edited for content. The information contained above is provided for informational and educational purposes only, and nothing contained herein should be construed as investment advice. Benzinga does not make any recommendation to buy or sell any security or any representation about the financial condition of any company.