Cyberattacks are growing at an unprecedented rate all over the globe. A study by Cybersecurity Ventures suggested that global cybercrime costs will increase by 15% annually and reach $10.5 trillion in the next five years.
On top of that, another type of cyberattack seems to be raising a ruckus recently, i.e., zero-day attacks. This attack poses a serious threat to businesses and has become more prevalent nowadays.
In this article, we’ll help you understand what they are and how you can avoid them.
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What Are Zero-Day Attacks?
Zero-day is a fairly common cybersecurity lingo associated with the terms attack, exploit or vulnerability. Security teams mainly use the term “zero-day” teams when they are unaware of the software vulnerability or flaw and had zero days to fix it.
As for the “zero-day attack”, it is a kind of cybersecurity attack where the hacker releases malware into the system to exploit the software’s vulnerability before the developer has even fixed the issue.
Zero-day attacks are quite pesky since they strike without any warning. As per the Ponemon-Sullivan privacy report, around 80% of successful security breaches are either new or unknown zero-day attacks.
How to Prevent Zero-Day Attacks?
Despite zero-day attacks being unpredictable, it is possible to prevent them. There are certain strategies you can implement to stop these attacks from happening and leading to losses.
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Put a Patch Management Strategy into Effect
Yes, it’s boring but you’ve got to do it. Ask your IT team to leverage the patch management strategy. If you have too many servers, try using intrusion prevention systems. These systems provide virtual patches for a truncated timeframe.
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Invest in a good email security solution
A common way for hackers to access a system is through improperly monitored email systems. That’s why you must have a good-quality email security solution in place to prevent zero-day attacks from happening.
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Uninstall Outdated Software or software with flaws
If your team uses any outdated software or software with security flaws, ask them to uninstall it immediately. It’s a great medium for cybercriminals to exploit your system. However, if you still need to use them, look for software programs having similar functions.
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Employ Powerful Firewall Technology
Use a firewall technology that lets you effectively track the incoming traffic as well as outgoing requests. That way, your security or IT team would instantly spot any malicious activities and you can take appropriate measures to resolve them.
The possibility of encountering a zero-day attack is more than you can imagine. Hackers, nowadays, have upgraded their skills and can orchestrate attacks that can be exceptionally dangerous. So, don’t let your guard down, and always be prepared to counter these attacks.
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