The term “zero-day” sounds ominous even if you don’t know what it means – and if you do know what it means, it should give you that much more of a chill. Zero-day exploits and attacks can affect practically any workplace or industry by hacking into the computer network and wreaking havoc on their hardware, software, data, and everyday processes. Our Austin business tech support team at Gravity Systems wants you to understand some key points about zero-day exploits, from the forms they can take to how you can protect your organization against them.

Zero-day exploits get their name from the fact that the targets get no warning and no time to take evasive measures. Typically a hacker discovers a previously unknown security vulnerability and launches an attack that can produce a variety of unhappy results. Infamous examples include a 2014 attack on Sony Pictures that leaked sensitive data, the Stuxnet worm that sabotaged Iran’s uranium enrichment plants, and even an attack on the security company RSA which allowed the hackers to steal data related to the company’s two-factor authentication products.

You might wonder how in the world you’re supposed to safeguard your IT department against an attacker currently unknown to anti-malware programs and systems. But you can start by making sure you adopt the latest patches as soon as they become available. The Wanna Cry ransomware attack was based on known Microsoft vulnerabilities that many users had neglected to patch in a timely manner, making them prime targets.

You can also benefit from adding more front-line protection to your network, such as a web application firewall (WAF) that filters out anything that looks even vaguely suspicious or unfamiliar. Professional vulnerability scanning can also expose holes in your security so you can plug them up ASAP. Contact us to discuss your data security needs.