Companies are facing an increasing risk from IT threats known as zero-day vulnerabilities. These threats can impact all affected systems since there are no available fixes at the time of discovery.
Hackers can gain access to target devices through vulnerabilities that can be found across the many layers of a company’s IT infrastructure including software and applications.
Serious flaws in operating systems, for instance, could be exploited by attackers for them to take full control over compromised devices.
Some of these flaws may not even be known to developers. Known as zero-day vulnerabilities, these flaws can seriously threaten all affected systems since there are no available fixes at the time of discovery.
Businesses often find it challenging to act on these threats promptly and many smaller operations are ill-equipped to even managed their IT effectively. Even those companies with dedicated IT staff are only able to respond if they are made aware of the threats. For larger operations, infrastructure size and complexity can often increase the time needed to secure their systems fully.
To combat these zero-day vulnerabilities companies will often put in place preventative measures such as anti-malware applications, firewalls, and automated updates providing users and organizations with a better level of protection.
Companies need to avoid complacency in automating updates and fixes need to be deployed with urgency. Also, knowledge is critical. IT staff have to know about threats as they emerge so they can perform the necessary steps to minimize risk.
What remains essential for companies is to act in a timely manner in order to minimize the risks that these threats pose and take appropriate action on a regular basis to better protect their IT environment.
