An attack that exploits a software vulnerability in the period after it is discovered but before a fix (patch) is provided. Since patches cannot prevent it, damage is limited with multiple layers of defense.
Japanese name: ゼロデイ攻撃
Zero-day attack appears in 1 practice question across 1 topic, including Information Security Basics.
Field: Information Security Basics
Answer: C. An attack that exploits a software vulnerability after it is discovered but before the vendor provides a fix (or before the fix is widely applied)
A zero-day attack exploits a vulnerability while the vendor does not yet know about it, or knows but has not yet provided a fix (patch). Counting the day the fix is released as day one, the attack happens before it, on "day zero," hence the name. Since no patch can be applied, it is important to stack other measures to limit the damage, for example disabling unneeded services to reduce the attack surface, minimizing privileges, segmenting the network, using mechanisms that detect and respond to suspicious activity on endpoints (such as EDR), and applying workarounds published by the vendor. Once a fix is provided, it should be applied as soon as possible.
A zero-day attack exploits a vulnerability while the vendor does not yet know about it, or knows but has not yet provided a fix (patch).
Which statement correctly describes a zero-day attack?As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Cross-site scripting (XSS) Digital signature Hash function Message authentication code Multi-factor authentication Phishing Principle of least privilege Public-key cryptography Ransomware Salt