Among the variety of cyber-attacks that we witness happening around us, Zero-day attacks are remarkably insidious in nature. Due to the fact that these attacks exploit the unknown vulnerabilities, zero-day attacks often inflict some form of damage wherever it is affected. Patching fast is the only way to minimize the intensity of the attack, even though it does not offer a prevention strategy.
Of the widely exploited vulnerabilities in 2023, 60% of those targeting network and security systems were zero-days. These aren’t distant threats; they’re happening right now. With these threats leaving little time to respond, it’s time for businesses to rethink their defense strategies.
Zero-Day Attacks: A Growing Threat You Can’t Afford to Ignore
Zero-day attacks pose an imminent threat to every organization, regardless of size. The recent Microsoft Exchange breach exemplifies the havoc these attacks can wreak. Over 97,000 servers were compromised, granting attackers access to sensitive data. This incident underscores the relentless pressure businesses face in their race to patch vulnerabilities and secure their infrastructure before it’s too late.
These attacks aren’t just an IT issue; they represent a direct threat to business continuity. The cost of a ransomware attack stemming from a zero-day vulnerability goes far beyond just a ransom. There is lost revenue from downtime, remediation costs, audit fees, legal expenses and more. When a zero-day vulnerability is exploited, it can cause data breaches, disrupt business operations, and severe regulatory penalties. On top of financial losses, attackers are increasingly using triple extortion, threatening to release sensitive information, disrupt access to critical systems, or inform suppliers, shareholders, and partners of the breach.
In this volatile climate, one thing is certain: patch, and patch fast. Yet patching systems quickly and efficiently is far from simple. Despite the availability of patches, organizations often fall behind due to compatibility issues, outdated infrastructure and the complex enterprise ecosystem.
Manual Patching is Failing Us
On paper, manual patching may seem straightforward: identify vulnerabilities, apply the patch, and move on. However, in reality, manual patching is resource-intensive. IT teams are overwhelmed by the sheer volume of patches they need to manage, especially with a 25% rise in vulnerabilities reported in 2024 alone, the workload isn’t going to lighten anytime soon. On average, organizations take 55 days to address just 50% of critical vulnerabilities post-patch release. This leaves systems exposed for nearly two months, offering attackers ample opportunities to slip through the cracks.
When it comes to zero-day vulnerabilities, issuing a patch quickly takes priority over ensuring it’s fully tested. However, taking this risk requires a solid rollback plan, as a poorly integrated patch can sometimes cause more harm than the vulnerability itself. To mitigate these risks, it’s crucial to have an infrastructure that can target all the devices with the specific patches needed, with a reporting mechanism to track what has and hasn’t been updated.
This is where Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) steps in as the optimal solution. UEM integrates automated patch management, ensuring that patches are deployed swiftly across all devices, reducing the risk window for zero-day vulnerabilities. It provides comprehensive endpoint management, giving IT teams real-time visibility into every device within the organization. This centralized approach streamlines patch deployment, tracking, and management, ultimately enhancing an organization’s ability to respond quickly and effectively to vulnerabilities. Additionally, it offers rollback capabilities, allowing IT teams to revert patches if any integration issues arise.
Yet, automated patch management is just one piece of the defense puzzle. To truly safeguard your organization, we need a blend of proactive and reactive responses for comprehensive protection.
Prioritize a Multi-Layered Defense
On the preventative side of things, Web Application Firewalls (WAF) and Runtime Application Self-Protection (RASP) is something that can keep zero-day attacks in check. While WAF acts like a gatekeeper, filtering out threats before they reach the application, RASP works from within, using its deep visibility to catch threats that WAF misses. Instead of waiting for patches to be released, RASP can shield critical applications, including APIs, against zero-day vulnerabilities, providing real-time protection where it’s needed most.
Relying on a single line of defense is no longer enough. With threats emerging from multiple attack surfaces, it calls for a more comprehensive and layered approach. The days of solely relying on the network perimeters for protection are long gone. To stay ahead, businesses must implement a zero-trust architecture, where every user, device, and system must continuously authenticate and verify access before interacting with the network, regardless of location. Zero trust plays a crucial role in reducing the blast radius of a zero-day attack by limiting the lateral movement of attackers, even if they manage to breach the network.
Extended Detection and Response (XDR) further enhances security by providing holistic visibility across the entire infrastructure, combining data from endpoints, network traffic, cloud services, and more. This unified data enables XDR to detect anomalous behaviors that signal potential zero-day attacks, even before the vulnerability is publicly disclosed.
As zero-day threats continue to escalate, businesses need more than isolated solutions. Leveraging UEM alongside a blend of network and application security solutions creates layers of protection that work well together. This multi-layered defense strategy gives businesses the upper hand, keeping them one step ahead of the unpredictability of zero-day attacks and ensuring a more proactive and resilient stance against these threats.
While 100% safety against these unanticipated attacks is an illusion, adopting the right defense strategies can significantly reduce risk and enable organizations to better navigate today’s evolving threat landscape.
About the Author
Apu Pavithran is the Founder and CEO of Hexnode, the award-winning Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) platform. Hexnode helps businesses manage mobile, desktop and workplace IoT devices from a single place. Recognized in the IT management community as a consultant, speaker and thought leader, Apu has been a strong advocate for IT governance and Information security management. He is passionate about entrepreneurship and devotes a substantial amount of time to working with startups and encouraging aspiring entrepreneurs. He also finds time from his busy schedule to contribute articles and insights on topics he strongly feels about. Apu can be reached online via https://www.linkedin.com/in/apupavithran/ and at Hexnode’s company website https://www.hexnode.com/
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