With all businesses relying on some kind of IT system to conduct their operations, exploiting IT vulnerabilities can be in itself a “lucrative” business. We’ve spoken about the threat of ransomware before, as well as about the idea of achieving ransomware immunity. But what about other vulnerabilities? A “zero-day, for example,” is one of those opportunities that hackers look for. But what exactly is a zero-day and what can you do to protect your business from such a vulnerability?

What is a zero-day?

A “zero-day“ (or a “zero-day vulnerability”) is a computer-software vulnerability that is either unknown or unaddressed by the software vendor. In cybersecurity, a vulnerability is an unintended error or flaw found in software or operating systems. A zero-day vulnerability can be exploited by hackers to negatively impact a business’ IT operations or data. Such an exploit, directed at a zero-day, is also known as a “zero-day exploit”, or “zero-day attack”.

The name “zero-day” comes from the number of days that a “fix” (patch) exists for the flaw – zero. The flaw has just been discovered and there is no known fix for it. This essentially means that at this point the software and its owners are vulnerable to an attack. Once the software vendor develops a security patch, we can no longer talk of a zero-day, but of a known and fixable security issue.

How can you protect your IT from a zero-day vulnerability?

While zero-days are real and unavoidable, planning for a potential disaster is the only way to make sure your business will suffer minimal damage in case of a zero-day exploit. In terms of ensuring the integrity of your IT operations, the best protection against a zero-day vulnerability is a solid backup and recovery plan. This way, you will be able to recover uncorrupted data from a relevant point-in-time before the attack, promptly.

To find out more about how Syneto can help protect your IT operations, please visit our Products page.