Imagine waking up to find your company’s most sensitive data compromised by a previously unknown security flaw: a zero-day vulnerability.
As technology advances, so do the threats associated with it, making these vulnerabilities a growing concern for organizations worldwide.
Explore the top ten zero-day vulnerability trends to watch for in 2024. Implement proactive solutions like Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) to protect your organization against threats and zero-day exploits.
Quick Takeaways:
Google researchers identified 97 zero-days exploited in the wild in 2023 alone, marking a 50% increase from the 62 recorded in 2022. Threat actors continue to develop their skills in discovering and exploiting unknown vulnerabilities, making zero-day attacks more accessible to a wider range of cybercriminals.
Organizations must remain proactive in their security measures to counter this growing threat. Staying ahead of the curve will require investing in robust vulnerability management, threat intelligence, and incident response capabilities.
Multiple organizations are at risk as hackers target vulnerabilities in widely used software and components to compromise entire supply chains.
In 2023, Google noted a rise in this type of targeting, especially in browsers. Three zero-day bugs exploited in third-party components impacted multiple browsers.
Organizations must assess the security posture of their supply chain partners and ensure adherence to best practices in critical vulnerability management and patching. Maintaining open communication channels with suppliers and conducting regular risk assessments can help mitigate supply chain attacks.
Attackers will likely target cloud platforms and infrastructure vulnerabilities more frequently as organizations increasingly move critical assets and data to the cloud.
Misconfigurations, weak authentication mechanisms, and unpatched cloud service vulnerabilities can give attackers a foothold to compromise sensitive data and disrupt business operations.
Secure cloud environments require regular audits, strong authentication controls, and keeping up with cloud security trends. Leveraging the security features and best practices of cloud providers can also improve the security posture of cloud-based assets.
The growing reliance on remote work tools may lead to an increase in vulnerabilities exploited through remote desktop software.
In 2023, attackers actively exploited vulnerabilities in enterprise-specific technologies like Ivanti Endpoint Manager Mobile and Sentry. The zero-day vulnerability trends emphasize the need for organizations to ensure the security, regular updates, and proper configuration of their remote access solutions.
Monitoring remote access activities and implementing strong authentication mechanisms can help detect and prevent unauthorized access attempts.
Zero-day attacks will likely continue targeting Internet of Things (IoT) devices, often lacking basic security features and regular updates.
Many IoT devices use default credentials, making them easy targets for malicious actors. Organizations must employ strong security measures like network segmentation to isolate IoT devices from critical assets.
IoT device firmware updates, password changes, and monitoring for anomalous behavior can mitigate zero-day attacks. IoT device manufacturers must also prioritize security in design and development, using secure coding practices and providing timely updates for discovered vulnerabilities.
In 2023, four ransomware gangs separately exploited zero-days, highlighting this growing trend. Ransomware attacks can cause massive damage to organizations, which is why backup and recovery plans are critical to minimizing the damage.
Regular backup testing, network segmentation, offline backup maintenance, and advanced threat detection can mitigate ransomware’s impact and improve infection response.
Escalating zero-day vulnerability trends challenge organizations to keep their systems patched, creating dangerous windows for attackers.
Recent incidents like the MOVEit software vulnerabilities highlight this ongoing struggle.
Overwhelming update volumes, user complacency, lack of awareness, and difficulty prioritizing critical patches complicate patch management. Organizations must patch what they can while acknowledging that some vulnerabilities will remain.
Taking a multilayered approach to security can help companies combat eager cybercriminals.
Attackers use zero-day exploits to deploy fileless malware, which operates in memory and leaves no footprint on the infected system’s hard drive.
Traditional security solutions are challenged by this stealthy technique. Detecting this threat requires advanced solutions such as:
Cyber hygiene practices such as regular software updates, strong password policies, and employee security awareness training are also important.
Whitelisting applications and restricting administrative privileges can further limit the ability of fileless malware to spread.
Geopolitical tensions could lead to state-sponsored actors developing and deploying zero-day attacks in their cyber espionage and sabotage campaigns.
Google attributed 12 zero-days to Beijing-linked hackers focused on espionage in 2023, up from seven in 2022. Winter Vivern, a Belarusian state-sponsored cyber group targeting Ukraine and other European countries, was among the threats mentioned in the report.
Organizations should assess their value to nation-state adversaries, implement strong security measures, and stay informed about geopolitical developments and sector-specific threats to better prepare for state-driven threats.
The response window for zero-day attacks is shrinking as attackers exploit vulnerabilities faster. Organizations must develop clear incident response procedures, define roles, and conduct regular simulations.
Collaboration with peers, sharing threat intelligence, and participating in information-sharing initiatives provide valuable insights into emerging threats.
Threat intelligence combined with robust incident response enhances organizational resilience against zero-day attacks and mitigates damage caused by emerging threats.
Perimeter81’s comprehensive security solutions can help your organization protect against zero-day vulnerability trends and other emerging threats. Perimeter81’s advanced security features and Zero Trust Network Access approach can significantly reduce your attack surface and minimize the risk of successful exploits. To learn more about how our cutting-edge security solutions can protect your organization, schedule a demo today.
