The Hidden Dangers of Zero-Day Vulnerabilities in Enterprise Networks

Zero-day vulnerabilities are security flaws in enterprise networks that can lead to large-scale attacks, devastating an organisation’s finances and reputation.
Imagine you’re blindfolded and you’ve to fight someone with a black belt in karate. Also, you’re not skilled in martial arts. The odds of you losing are higher here.
The situation with zero-day vulnerabilities is somewhat similar. You have no idea a system has the vulnerability, and when an attacker exploits it and strikes your enterprise network with an attack, you’ve no defences.
Zero-day attacks increased by 50% in 2023 as per the Threat Analysis Group (TAG) by Google. This is why securing your network and systems from these vulnerabilities is important.
In this article, we’ll talk about what zero-day vulnerabilities are, why it’s challenging to fight them, and how to identify and prevent them.

A zero-day (0-day) vulnerability is an unidentified/unreported security flaw in software components, applications, operating systems, or hardware components. Threat actors or security researchers discover (and can potentially exploit) these vulnerabilities even before the vendor or developer detects and addresses them. Flaws in design or coding could lead to zero-day vulnerabilities.

Once someone discovers a zero-day vulnerability, they can immediately exploit it and launch a fully-fledged cyberattack or sell the zero-day exploit on the dark web. This means the developers will have zero days to address or patch the vulnerability. This is why they’re called “zero-day” vulnerabilities.

Zero-day vulnerabilities differ from known security vulnerabilities which you can patch on time and secure your application. Since attackers find zero-day vulnerabilities before you, leaving no time to work on the patch, no fixes exist against these vulnerabilities. This is pretty dangerous for enterprise networks with a large number of endpoints and hardware/software systems. These vulnerabilities can affect an organisation in terms of data breaches/exposures, financial losses, and compliance risks.

According to a WatchGuard report, zero-day exploit attacks accounted for 66% of all cyber threats in Q4, 2021.

Zero-Day Vulnerability Lifecycle

An application or a system may have a zero-day vulnerability in its production phase. Unaware of this, the developer releases the product in the market where it can go undetected for months or days before the hackers or developers get to it.

If the developers find it first, they start working on the solution to fix the issue and release an update with a patch. They notify the users so they can install the patch and secure their systems. However, if hackers find the vulnerability first, they exploit it and harm the organisation by stealing data, asking for ransom, or damaging their reputation. So, no matter who discovers it first, the vulnerability soon becomes news.

A high-impact zero-day vulnerability can sell for $500,000 to $2,000,000 depending on the platform and its target.

Here’s a typical lifecycle of a zero-day vulnerability with these stages:

Introduction: It’s when the vulnerability is first introduced in a hardware or software component or operating system. In this stage, the vulnerability remains hidden from anyone’s view for years, months, or days.
Discovery: A hacker, developer, or security researcher finds the vulnerability while analysing or testing the system.
Exploitation: As soon as a hacker discovers the vulnerability, they exploit it. They access the system, manipulate code, steal data, and launch a large-scale attack to further bring havoc to an organisation’s security. Over 18% of zero-day vulnerabilities in 2023 were used to exploit mobile operating systems like Android and iOS.
Disclosure: The developer and users come to know about the vulnerability. Some decide to reveal it to the users as soon as they find it while others hide it until they release a patch.
Mitigation: If developers find it before the hacker, they work on the patch and release it to fix the security loophole and mitigate the attack. If they discover it after the exploitation or attack, they aim to contain the cybersecurity threat and reduce the impact of the attack.

Zero-day vulnerability, attack, and exploit are related to each other but not the same. Let’s find out the difference between them:

Zero-day vulnerability: It’s an undiscovered security weakness like a coding error, app design flaw, etc. that the developer has not detected and patched yet. However, an attacker discovers and exploits it to compromise devices and data, leaving no time for the developer to address the vulnerability.

Zero-day attack: It happens when an attacker silently exploits an undiscovered zero-day vulnerability to launch a cyberattack like a data breach, ransomware attack, Remote Code Execution (REC), privilege escalation, etc. As a result, an organisation loses its confidential data, money in paying the ransom and restoring operations, and customer trust.

Zero-day exploit: It’s the particular method a cyber attacker uses to exploit the undetected vulnerability in a system and compromise it. They gain unauthorised access to the network or system, steal data, and manipulate systems.

Let’s find out some of the real-life examples of zero-day vulnerabilities and attacks:

Stuxnet Worm

It was a massive zero-day exploit that attacked Windows computers. In 2010, the worm first spread via infected USB drives, targeting supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems and programmable logic controllers (PLCs).

According to reports, it significantly impacted Iran’s nuclear program by damaging 1/5th of the country's centrifuges installed for uranium enrichment. It infected 200k+ computers and degraded 1000+ machines. This means zero-day vulnerabilities don’t just disrupt digital systems, they can also be weaponized to damage systems physically. This is alarming!

Log4j Vulnerability (CVE-2021-44228)

Log4j vulnerability (Log4Shell) allowed hackers to remotely control devices running Java-based applications. It received a vulnerability score of 10, the highest in MITRE’s CVE database.

Hackers exploited Apache’s Log4j vulnerability in 2021 to target over 48% of global corporate networks, according to a Check Point report. This created a “cyber pandemic”, affecting organisations of various sizes and industries from the likes of Google, Microsoft, Cisco, AWS, and IBM.

Chrome Zero-Day Vulnerability

In 2021-22, attackers exploited a bug in the browser’s V8 JavaScript engine. They aimed to direct users to malicious websites by sending them phishing emails. Those sites used the Chrome vulnerability and installed malware and spyware on users’ computers.
APT groups, particularly from China, Russia, and North Korea, are linked to exploiting 40-60% of zero-day vulnerabilities annually.

CVE-2024-38014 and CVE-2024-43491

Microsoft's latest Patch (released last Tuesday, Sept 10) addresses 79 security flaws, including 4 zero-day vulnerabilities. Notably, CVE-2024-38014 and CVE-2024-43491 require immediate attention, especially for businesses using Windows 10 Enterprise.

Zoom

The zero-day vulnerability in the famous video conferencing tool allowed attackers to remotely access and control PCs with older Windows versions. This means attackers could completely control the machine and data stored in it to launch attacks or steal data.

Other notable zero-day vulnerabilities occurred with:

AppleiOS
Microsoft Word
Sony Pictures

Here’s why enterprises struggle with handling zero-day vulnerabilities:

No defences ready: Zero-day vulnerabilities are new security flaws, not detected before. This is why there are no patches available to fix them. In fact, 2021 saw the most zero-day vulnerabilities ever exploited in the wild, with a total of 106.

Supply chain risks: Attackers can exploit vulnerabilities to compromise enterprise supply chains as they offer a wider attack surface and it poses a significant challenge for the network.

Compliance risks: Data breaches due to zero-day vulnerabilities could lead to compliance risks, especially for highly regulated industries such as healthcare, finance, and government agencies. Organisations may have to pay heavy penalties due to non-compliance and suffer from lost customer trust.

Detection difficulties: Detecting zero-day vulnerabilities is difficult as they’re unknown. If an organisation uses traditional techniques such as signature-based detection, it becomes even more difficult to detect or address them as they have no existing signatures.

Human errors: Attackers use social engineering to target employees via phishing, smishing, etc. While social engineering may not directly exploit zero-day vulnerabilities, it can provide attackers with the credentials or access needed to launch a broader attack.

Severe impacts: Zero-day attacks can have severe impacts on an organisation. The percentage of zero-days affecting enterprise technologies rose to 37.1% in 2023, up from 11.8% in 2019​.

Once a vulnerability is exploited, attackers may gain access to sensitive data, escalate privileges, or manipulate systems. This can lead to data theft, encryption of critical files for ransom, or operational disruption. Organisations face financial costs in restoring systems, addressing the breach, and potential penalties. Additionally, reputational damage may occur, affecting relationships with customers, partners, and regulators.

If you can identify a zero-day vulnerability before an attacker does, you’ll have time to address it and secure your systems and data. The following methods will help you identify these vulnerabilities

Signature-less detection: Instead of using traditional known signatures, use signature-less detection techniques to find vulnerabilities. It utilises advanced machine learning algorithms and considers user behaviour, trust level, reputation, and other attributes to detect suspicious activities.

Threat intelligence: Cyber threat intelligence allows you to keep up with emerging cybersecurity threats and attacks, their mechanisms, how to identify them, their impacts on your business, and how to fight them. So, employ your security experts to continuously gather and analyse threat intelligence, take security measures on time, and prevent the likelihood of attacks.

Behavioural analysis: Behavioural analysis uses machine learning algorithms to detect abnormal system activity that could indicate a zero-day exploit. This technique allows security teams to respond in real time to suspicious behaviour, helping to mitigate potential zero-day attacks before they cause significant harm

Pen tests: Conduct periodic penetration tests (pen testing) to identify vulnerabilities by simulating an attack on an application from outside. Analyse how the application responds to the attack and determine its impact on your organisation. This will help you fix security loopholes and strengthen your app’s security.

Consider the below strategies and network security best practices to prevent zero-day vulnerabilities and their impacts on your organisation:

Incident Response Planning

Create a solid, practical incident response planning defining all the steps, roles, responsibilities, processes, tools, and technologies you’ll use to identify and respond to cyberattacks. Keep this planning aligned with your security goals and formulate the strategy by discussing it with your team.

In addition, measure the performance of your cybersecurity incident response strategy periodically to find gaps and adjust accordingly.

Continuous Monitoring

New vulnerabilities keep on emerging and advancing. The only way to prevent them from bringing havoc in your organisation is through continuous network security monitoring.

So, monitor your network, systems, devices, and applications continuously to find security loopholes before threat actors do. This way, you will have time to find the solution and fix the issue.

Patch and Update Quickly

Delaying patches and updates is risky. If attackers find security vulnerabilities in your systems, they won’t think twice about exploiting them. According to a report, 30 per cent of known zero-day vulnerabilities targeted mobile devices in 2021.

So, as soon as you discover a zero-day vulnerability, start finding the solution and release the update. In addition, communication about the vulnerabilities to users and advise them to install the update immediately to prevent attacks.

Use Advanced Technologies and Tools

Instead of relying on manual or traditional tools, utilise advanced technology and tools to speed up different areas of your security workflows. From detecting security risks to resolving them and monitoring your systems, you can automate many activities.

For example, you can use AI-powered systems for threat intelligence, detect security flaws, and more. This will save you time and effort which you can invest in other important areas like decision making and formulating better security strategies.

In addition, conduct “bug-bounty” programs to defend yourself. For example, in recent years, vendors have adopted bug-bounty programs where researchers are rewarded for discovering zero-days, helping reduce the time to patch.

Train Your Staff

Keep your employees updated with recent cybersecurity incidents and best practices by conducting regular training sessions and webinars/seminars. This way, they can protect their systems and data by maintaining security hygiene for passwords, device usage, access permissions, and so on.

Talk to our experts today

Zero-day vulnerabilities are unknown/undetected security vulnerabilities in hardware or software systems. Detect these vulnerabilities before attackers do to secure your enterprise network, data, and systems from deadly attacks.

If you’re looking for a comprehensive security solution to strengthen your security posture, Microminder Cyber Security can help. We provide a wide range of services and solutions for organisations of all sizes to protect you from attacks. Here are some of our capabilities:

Vulnerability management services
Managed endpoint detection and response (EDR)
Identity threat detection and response (IDR)
Penetration testing services
Threat intelligence and hunting services

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