What is a Zero Day Virus and How to Protect Against Zero Day Viruses?
**What is a Zero Day Virus?**
A zero-day virus is a type of malware that exploits unknown vulnerabilities in software or hardware[2][3][4]. These vulnerabilities are not yet known to the vendor or developer, making them especially dangerous because they can be exploited by attackers before a patch or update is released[2][3][4]. Zero-day viruses can take many forms, such as missing data encryption, missing authorizations, broken algorithms, bugs, problems with password security, and more[2].
Wannacry(2017), Zoom(2020), PrintNightmare(2021) are Zeroday attacks made from recent data.
**What are the Dangers of Zero Day Viruses?**
Zero-day viruses can cause a range of dangers, including:
- Data loss: Zero-day viruses can delete or encrypt data, making it inaccessible[1][4].
- Personal information theft: Zero-day viruses can steal personal information and use it for malicious purposes[3].
- System crashes: Zero-day viruses can delete or modify important files, causing system crashes[1][4].
- Installation of other malicious software: Zero-day viruses can install other types of malware, such as ransomware, on the infected system[3].
**How to Protect Against Zero Day Viruses?**
To protect against zero-day viruses, it is recommended to take the following steps:
- Keep software up to date: Regularly update software, operating systems, and applications to minimize the risk of vulnerabilities being exploited[1][3][6].
- Use security software: Use antivirus and anti-malware software to detect and prevent zero-day viruses[1][5].
- Avoid clickbait and phishing attacks: Be cautious when opening email attachments or clicking on links from unknown sources[2][4].
- Perform regular vulnerability scanning: Regularly scan enterprise networks for vulnerabilities and lock down any that are discovered[2].
- Use a firewall: Configure a firewall to allow only essential applications and protect against zero-day threats[2][6].
In summary, zero-day viruses are a type of malware that exploits unknown vulnerabilities in software or hardware. They can cause data loss, personal information theft, system crashes, and the installation of other malicious software. To protect against zero-day viruses, it is recommended to keep software up to date, use security software, avoid clickbait and phishing attacks, perform regular vulnerability scanning, and use a firewall.
Citations:
[1] https://www.cynet.com/zero-day-attacks/5-ways-to-defend-against-zero-day-malware/
[2] https://usa.kaspersky.com/resource-center/definitions/zero-day-exploit
[3] https://www.mcafee.com/learn/what-is-a-zero-day-threat/
[4] https://www.imperva.com/learn/application-security/zero-day-exploit/
[5] https://www.ericom.com/glossary/what-is-zero-day-attack/
[6] https://cybriant.com/how-to-prevent-zero-day-attacks-in-5-steps/