Defending against zero day vulnerabilities

Daniel Pearson at KnownHost examines cloud security as the first line of defence against zero-day exploits

 

Cyber-criminals constantly search for security flaws to exploit, and zero-day vulnerabilities offer the perfect opportunity. 

 

A zero-day vulnerability is a security flaw in software or hardware, unknown to the company that created it. The term ‘zero-day’ refers to the fact the company or developer has only just learned of the flaw, meaning they’ve had ‘zero days’ to fix it. 

 

Zero-day vulnerabilities are dangerous. Cyber-criminals exploit them before developers can release a patch, putting businesses at risk. From financial institutions to e-commerce platforms, a successful attack can lead to data breaches, service outages, and significant reputational damage. 

 

Below, I’ve explained how cloud hosting providers can help reduce the risks associated with zero-day vulnerabilities and help businesses stay resilient in an evolving threat landscape. 

 

Reinforcing threat detection systems

Due to the nature of cloud resources, it can be difficult to monitor and secure every viable threat. Addressing these challenges requires an integrated and proactive strategy from cloud hosting providers. 

 

Providers can deploy AI-powered threat detection tools which can analyse patterns and flag anomalies like irregular login times or locations which may signal a security breach and enable faster response times. While these can’t stop all zero-day threats, they can reduce the overall attack surface and limit the severity of many attacks. 

 

For the second year running, exploited vulnerabilities were the most commonly identified root cause of ransomware attacks, highlighting the importance of automated patching. Once a vulnerability is detected, cloud platforms can use automated patch management systems to boost protection against vulnerabilities faster than traditional manual updates. When a vulnerability is discovered and fixed, it protects that particular software application from attack. 

 

For instance, in 2021, Microsoft faced a zero-day vulnerability in its Exchange Server. Hackers exploited the flaw before a patch was available, leading to widespread breaches. Cloud providers that implemented AI-driven threat detection were able to identify unusual access patterns and isolate affected systems, minimising damage. 

 

Providers can also look to implement cloud-based intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDPS) to analyse traffic patterns and block suspicious activity before an attack escalates. These systems provide a first line of defence, assisting companies in identifying and mitigating possible threats before they do any harm. 

 

Unlike a basic Intrusion Detection System, an IDPS not only alerts companies to potential threats but also takes automated actions to prevent these threats from affecting the network. This can include blocking traffic or isolating parts of the network. 

 

IDPSs also keep detailed logs of detected events, which employees can review later. It can also generate alerts to notify administrators about detected threats so they can take further action if needed. 

 

Strengthen data security

While AI-powered threat detection tools help identify and mitigate threats, securing data is equally important in case an attack succeeds. Regular data backups are essential in mitigating the effects of a zero-day attack. These backups serve as a critical safety net, ensuring the organisation can swiftly recover from any data loss or corruption caused by such an attack. 

 

In the event of a breach, having up-to-date backups means that you can restore your systems to their previous state with minimal disruption. Not only does this help in recovering lost data but also significantly reduces downtime, allowing your business to continue functioning. By maintaining regular backups, you can fully restore data that may have been deleted, encrypted or corrupted by an attacker. 

 

It’s advisable to implement a comprehensive backup strategy that includes both on-site and off-site storage solutions, ensuring redundancy and protection against various types of threats. 

 

For instance, businesses could implement the 3-2-1 backup rule. It’s a data protection strategy that recommends having three copies of your data, stored on two different types of media, with one copy kept offsite separate from your primary data and onsite backups.  

 

Enhance incident response and disaster recovery

Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) systems centralise security data, providing real-time analysis and threat hunting. They help security teams identify and address unknown exploits quickly, reducing the time hackers have to cause damage. This is why these systems are crucial for zero-day attack detection and response. 

 

SIEM tools provide a holistic view of an organisation’s security landscape, making identifying abnormalities and potential breaches easier. They also facilitate compliance with regulatory requirements by maintaining detailed audit trails and generating necessary reports. This makes SIEM vital in protecting sensitive information and maintaining operational integrity. 

 

Should the worst happen, organisations should implement disaster recovery as a service (DRaaS). It’s a cloud computing service model that allows an organisation to back up its data and IT infrastructure in a third-party cloud computing environment and allows companies to regain access and functionality to IT infrastructure after a disaster. 

 

DRaaS mirrors a complete infrastructure in fail-safe mode on virtual servers, including compute, storage and networking functions. For instance, an organisation can continue to run applications on the service provider’s cloud environment instead of from the disaster-affected physical servers, resulting in a much quicker recovery time and minimal business disruption. 

 

Unlike traditional backups, which require manual restoration, DRaaS enables businesses to instantly switch to cloud-hosted environments in case of a cyber-attack, ensuring minimal downtime. For example, after a ransomware attack, a company using DRaaS can resume operations within hours rather than days.

 

Continuously evaluate security weaknesses

Identifying vulnerabilities allows system administrators to prioritise patching efforts and mitigate potential vulnerabilities. Regular assessments ensure systems are secure and protected against known vulnerabilities. 

 

In the face of zero-day attacks targeting unknown vulnerabilities, staying current with security threats is paramount. This includes regularly updating software, using strong security protocols and proactively monitoring for suspicious activity to mitigate risks and stay ahead of evolving cyber-threats.

 

Provide employees with cyber-security training and awareness programs. Emphasise the importance of data protection and responsible behaviours internally and externally by maintaining up-to-date policies, guidelines and best practices to reduce the risk of human error, a major threat for zero-day attacks. 

 

Zero-day vulnerabilities pose a growing threat to businesses, but cloud security solutions can significantly mitigate risks. By integrating AI-driven threat detection, automated patching, data backups, and employee training, organisations can build resilience against emerging cyber-threats. 

 

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Daniel Pearson is CEO at KnownHost 

 

Main image courtesy of iStockPhoto.com and JUN LI