As a whole, Zero-day emphasizes the urgency of the situation, the speed of the attack, and the security breach of a digital system. That means vendors and software engineers have zero days to deal with the danger because it is entirely new and appears for the first time. Black hats use zero-day exploits to steal confidential data, business information, and financial details. They disrupt critical IT processes and operations over a network or organization.
Differences Between Zero-day Vulnerability and Zero-day Exploit?
0-day vulnerability and 0-day exploit are two different concepts that are linked together. A 0-day vulnerability is a flaw or security gap in software that has been discovered but is still not repaired or patched. On the other hand, the 0-day exploit is a method of exploiting the underlying flaw in security to launch a 0-day attack. A vulnerability is latent in the system, but an exploit is an active threat that uses the vulnerability to perform malicious actions.
How Zero-Day Vulnerability Comes Into Existence?
Some zero-day vulnerabilities remain in the system from the beginning when they are released. Others develop over time when software becomes old and outdated. They stay hidden in the system until someone discovers them. Vendors and developers continuously work to detect the security gaps and vulnerabilities in a program, and as soon as they find one, they develop a patch to repair the flaw.
Sometimes, vendors leave the vulnerability as it is in a program and continuously work to create a patch to fix the problem. Until then, they warn the users and prescribe safety measures while using the program. Even if vendors find the vulnerability before the hackers, it is highly likely that all the users aren’t able to download the patch on time. The unpatched programs leave the devices exposed to potential online threats.
However, in exceptional cases, cybercriminals can find the underlying vulnerabilities and security vents before vendors. They exploit them to infect the program with malware and promote all the malicious activities in the system. Once they know the flaw, they can develop an exploit within a fortnight. After this, they launch zero-day attacks on the users.
How Do Zero-Day Attacks Work?
Black hats use program vulnerability and zero-day exploits to launch zero-day attacks. They use social engineering attacks, phishing emails, and malicious links to trick users into visiting malicious sites tampered with zero-day exploiting malware. When users click malicious links and download any file from these tampered sites, malware moves into their devices.
With the zero-day attack, bad actors access the main system and perform all types of malicious activities, such as spying, online tracking, data theft, task modifications, financial fraud, etc. They can hijack your browser, intercept online traffic, encrypt your PC, and steal confidential data. Using this, they can also infiltrate an organization or government institute’s network or key IT infrastructure to disrupt and damage its whole workings. Black hats can carry out zero-day attacks as long as users do not download the patch for the flaw in their system. Zero-day attacks will no longer harm their system once they download the patch and fix the error.
Who Carries Out Zero-Day Attacks?
Different types of bad actors carry out zero-day attacks. Each attacker is motivated by a particular agenda. Here are some examples of who carry out zero-day attacks:
Cybercriminals
Cybercriminals use 0-day attacks to steal confidential data, financial details, business secrets, and critical user IDs. They inject ransomware into the PC and encrypt all the system and access points, rendering users unable to get any information from it. They demand ransom from the victim to decrypt the device and allow the user access. If the victim turns down their demands, they delete all the data. Besides this, cybercriminals also sell zero-day exploits on the dark web to help other bad actors launch 0-day attacks.
Hacktivists
Hacktivists are politically and socially motivated actors who use 0-day cyberattacks to promote their agenda. They target state institutions, databases, and online platforms to show their resistance and draw attention to various issues, such as social, political, and environmental issues. During the process, they disrupt normal functionalities, cause service outages, and disrupt media coverage. To expose the system, they expose the classified information to the wider public and make them aware of the injustice and wrongdoing.
Corporate Espionage
Highly sophisticated hackers use zero-day attacks to infiltrate a network and database to steal business information, confidential data, and state secrets. The hackers in this area are paid attackers who work for private firms, governments, and malicious secret societies. They attack business operations and damage brand reputations to create a negative image of the products in the market.
Cyberwarfare
0-day attacks play an important role in cyber warfare. Rival countries, corporate players, and criminal-minded entities leave no stone unturned to launch successful cyberattacks on their targets. Using deadly malware attacks, they target military bases, IT infrastructure, and critical databases. Nation-states target their rival nations, collect military intelligence, learn about their secret missions, and target the key facilities of the countries. These attacks aim to disrupt services and financial systems, weakening the economy and creating chaos in the rival states.
Insider Threats
Insider threats are also among the most common elements that can be used in 0-day attacks. Insider threats involve employees who know the inside out of the organization that is under attack. These bad actors aim to achieve personal financial gain, provide leverage to the competitors, and take personal revenge. They sell information to competitors and rival agencies for a small amount of money.
Who Carries Out Zero-Day Attacks?
0-day attacks target a wide range of entities, including domestic users, office employees, government institutes, military infrastructures, and other sensitive data centers. In zero-day exploits, attackers target devices that are using outdated programs and software. Here are some common examples of zero-day targets:
Operating Systems
Operating systems are the main components of a PC that manage hardware and software mechanisms providing basic services for computer programs. It acts like an intermediary between the user and the hardware to maintain hardware between each other. An OS becomes old and outdated over time. As a result, it develops a lot of vulnerabilities and operational flaws. Cybercriminals detect these vulnerabilities and infect the system using zero-day exploits.
Web Browser
The web browser is another key component that is the target of the 0-day attack. Attackers find a weakness in the browser code, such as the JavaScript engine or browser plugins. After this, they create a code to exploit the flaw and bypass the browser’s security feature. Once this is done, it runs an arbitrary command on the victim’s computer and infects it with malware.
Office Applications
Office applications are highly vulnerable to zero-day exploits. Vulnerabilities in document macros like MS Word and Excel are highly vulnerable and often become convenience gateways to execute malware and take out data once the document is open. Similarly, PowerPoint mishandles file parsing, leading to buffer overflow weaknesses. It allows attackers to overwrite memory and run arbitrary code. So, office apps with these flaws often become a convenient tool to launch the latest cyber attacks.
Open-Source Components
Open-source software tools are prebuilt and easily available, and developers use and integrate them to create projects. These publicly available tools provide a safe gateway for malicious attackers to infect a system with zero-day exploits. When a user or developers use these tampered tools, malware infiltrates their system and spreads to all critical areas.
Hardware and Firmware
Hardware and firmware are the first lines of defense in a PC. These components are manufactured in one place and assembled in others. During this process, bad actors fiddle with hardware and firmware programs to inject them with the malware. When users connect them with their main device, it leads them to deadly malware attacks.
Government and Military
Rival nation-states often exploit zero-day vulnerabilities to attack sensitive and confidential state mechanisms and databases. Using this, they access classified state information, disrupt primary state functions, and create commotion in every direction to scare the public.
Large Corporations
Big businesses and corporations are another key target of zero-day exploits. Black hats target primary sectors like finance, healthcare, energy, and technology. Bad actors access customer data, business, and financial information by targeting these sectors.
Critical Infrastructure
Zero-day targets exploit critical infrastructure like power grids, transportation systems, water supplies, and healthcare. These are the lifeline of a state, and enemy states target these facilities to dismantle their rivals and attack the critical infrastructure.
Financial Institutions
Zero-day targets exploit critical infrastructure like power grids, transportation systems, water supplies, and healthcare. These are the lifeline of a state, and enemy states target these facilities to dismantle their rivals and attack the critical infrastructure.
Software and Technology Companies
Software and technology companies are another major target of zero-day exploits. Black hats access the database and steal all the information a company uses to manufacture programs. Using this information, they try to corrupt the very data of the programs that are produced. Also, with the help of this data, they find the inherent vulnerability in the software and develop the code to exploit it.
How to Detect a Zero-Day Attack?
Detecting a 0-day attack is challenging because it is entirely new and uses new ways to infect a device and system. However, there are several tools and techniques that can help you detect zero-day attacks. Here are some effective ways you can use to detect a zero-day attack:
Behavioral Analysis
Behavior analysis is an advanced tool in security software that monitors user and device activity for abnormal actions. It detects the deviations of the programs and executables in the system from the normal operations. Suppose the system has unusual and unauthorized activity, including unexpected logins, unauthorized data modifications, or atypical data transfers. In that case, heuristic analysis takes quick action to identify the real reason to identify the real reason for the action. It quarantines the program in a secure mode and further analyzes the file. This way, it can effectively detect a 0-day attack.
Threat Intelligence Platform
A threat intelligence platform is a set of tools and techniques organizations use to collect data on the latest cyber threats, specifically about the newest malware operations in the market. They monitor new threats and indicators of compromise (IOCs) that alert security teams to investigate further. With the help of a threat intelligence platform, you can effectively deal with zero-day attacks.
Endpoint Detection and Response
EDR tools are another example that tracks and analyzes different endpoints such as computers, servers, and mobiles for suspicious activities. It detects unusual and suspicious patterns in code execution and privilege escalation. It also compares all the processes and program activities with the known and legitimate alternatives to establish the truth. Using this technique, EDR can easily detect the latest malware attacks.
Sandboxing and Dynamic Malware Analysis
Sandboxing and dynamic malware analysis is another technique that is quite effective in detecting and preventing the latest malware attacks on your device and systems. Sandboxing isolates suspicious files in a secure space, monitors their behavior, and runs dynamic malware analysis. It shows the hidden threats and reaches the root of the problem.
Network Traffic Analysis
Network traffic analysis tools like firewalls and deep packet inspectors can pin down the 0-day malware in a system and its network. It analyzes network traffic, large data transfers, unknown IPs, and suspicious servers for hidden threats. Even if the traffic is encrypted, it can inspect the metadata, such as destination, volume, and abnormal behavior. An alert is triggered if it comes across anything unusual or suspicious. This process is fully capable of catching a zero-day exploit.
Examples of Zero-Day Attacks
Operation Aurora
Operation Aurora was a deadly cyber attack that targeted the intellectual property of twenty big organizations in 2009, including Google, Blackberry, Adobe Systems, Yahoo, and Morgan Stanley. The attack exploited the vulnerabilities in underlying systems. It aimed to gain access to and modify the source code repositories of these big companies.
Stuxnet
Stuxnet is one of the most prominent examples of zero-day attacks. It targeted Iran’s nuclear facilities in 2010, in which it disrupted the uranium enrichment process. It used four zero-day vulnerabilities in Windows to infect and launch its malicious operations to manipulate industrial control.
RSA Attack
An RSA attack happened in 2011 in which hackers exploited a vulnerability in Adobe Flash Player. In this attack, the attackers sent emails attached with Excel spreadsheets containing Flash files to the RSA employee. When employees opened the spreadsheet, the attacker started remotely controlling the computers. Attackers used this technique to search and steal data from the users.
Sony Zero-Day Attack
It is another example of a 0-day attack in which Sony Pictures became a victim in 2014. This attack crippled Sony and compromised sensitive data of upcoming movies, business plans, and email addresses of senior-level executives.
MOVEit Transfer Zero-Day Attack
Moveit transfer is a file transfer software that was attacked by Russian ransomware. It was a 0-day attack that affected various organizations, including government agencies, universities, banks, and health networks.
How to Protect Yourself Against Zero-Day Attacks?
Zero-day attacks are deadly and quick, but they are not invincible. One can easily prevent and block them if he follows some fundamental security rules. Here are some tips that help you protect against 0-day vulnerabilities and resulting malware attacks:
Smart Antivirus Software
Use smart antivirus software with advanced security features like EDR, heuristics, and behavior analysis. It will monitor your system round the clock and keep an eye on unusual and suspicious activities that may lead to virus infections. Heuristic analysis is an advanced technique that reads the behavior and activities of files and programs to detect unknown and latest malware threats. If the programs act in an unusual or prescribed way, then the antivirus sandboxes the file and conducts a deeper analysis. In this process, it can easily detect the latest and zero-day attacks.
Update and Patch All Software
Zero-day attacks use system vulnerabilities to launch malware attacks and compromise device security. Keeping your software, operating system, and applications up to date is paramount. Make sure to download new security patches as soon as they are available. Also, you must use a powerful patch management tool to facilitate updates on your devices and endpoints. Updates patch up the vulnerabilities in a program or app that develops over time. Due to this, you will be able to prevent the latest malware attacks on your system.
Use a Strong Firewall
A firewall monitors network traffic and filters incoming and outgoing data packets to detect malicious programs and zero-day vulnerabilities. It has intrusion detection and prevention tools to monitor network traffic for signs of malicious activity. It can detect unusual traffic patterns and unknown attacks and protect users from zero-day vulnerabilities.
Application Whitelisting and Sandboxing
These applications play a key role in protecting users from the latest malware attacks. Whitelisting is a tool that allows only legitimate apps and programs to run on your system. It blocks the unknown and new programs from running if they do not comply with the security protocols of the whitelisting. On the other hand, sandboxing is another tool that can detect and prevent malicious software on your PC. It works by running new and unknown apps in an isolated environment. If the new elements contain anything harmful, they cannot affect the device.
Threat Intelligence Feeds
Pursue a threat intelligence service to get all the latest information about new threats, malware, and security flaws. Security Information and Event Management systems provide early warnings about the latest vulnerabilities and zero-day attacks. It uses threat intelligence threats to warn the users. Gathering information about these feeds would prove supportive in dealing with the latest threats.
