• CUSTOMER LOGIN
  • Products
    • TPRM by ThirdPartyTrust
    • Beacon by ThirdPartyTrust
  • Resources
    • Blog
    • Strategy Guides
    • Case Studies
    • Data Sheets
    • Webinars
    • API
  • Company
    • About us
    • Partners
    • Product Security
    • Privacy Policy
REQUEST DEMO
  • Products
    • TPRM by ThirdPartyTrust
    • Beacon by ThirdPartyTrust
  • Resources
    • Blog
    • Strategy Guides
    • Case Studies
    • Data Sheets
    • Webinars
    • API
  • Company
    • About us
    • Partners
    • Product Security
    • Privacy Policy
REQUEST DEMO
  • CUSTOMER LOGIN
  • Products
    • TPRM by ThirdPartyTrust
    • Beacon by ThirdPartyTrust
  • Resources
    • Blog
    • Strategy Guides
    • Case Studies
    • Data Sheets
    • Webinars
    • API
  • Company
    • About us
    • Partners
    • Product Security
    • Privacy Policy
REQUEST DEMO
  • CUSTOMER LOGIN
  • Products
    • TPRM by ThirdPartyTrust
    • Beacon by ThirdPartyTrust
  • Resources
    • Blog
    • Strategy Guides
    • Case Studies
    • Data Sheets
    • Webinars
    • API
  • Company
    • About us
    • Partners
    • Product Security
    • Privacy Policy
REQUEST DEMO
  • Products
  • TPRM by ThirdPartyTrust
  • Beacon by ThirdPartyTrust
  • Solutions
  • Risk Assessment Automation
  • Security Questionnaire Automation
  • Shadow IT Management
  • Zero Day Remediation
  • Integrations
  • Industries
    • Financial
    • Energy
    • Healthcare and Hospitals
    • Legal
    • Life Sciences
    • Manufacturing Industry
    • Retail
    • Technology
    • Other Industries
  • Pricing
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Strategy Guides
  • Case Studies
  • Data Sheets
  • Webinars
  • Dictionary
  • API
  • Company
  • About us
  • Careers
  • Partners
  • Partners Login
  • Product Security
  • Privacy Policy

What is a zero day in third party risk management?

Published by Sabrina Pagnotta on March 8, 2022
Categories
  • Blog
Tags
  • Cybersecurity
  • TPRM Best Practices
what is a zero day third party risk management

Cyberattacks make headlines every week, but one particular type of threat has been challenging risk managers after the Log4j incident: zero days. What is a zero day and why is it relevant for third party risk management?

A zero day (also referred to as 0-day) is a software vulnerability either unknown to its developer, or known and without a patch to fix it. The name comes from the fact that the vendor has “zero days” to fix before it is actively exploited.

Until the vulnerability is mitigated, attackers can use it to compromise data or additional systems, including operating systems, web browsers, office applications, open-source components, hardware, firmware, or Internet of Things (IoT) devices.

The term is often used along with words like vulnerability, exploit, and attack, so it’s helpful to understand the difference:

  • A zero day vulnerability is a software flaw that attackers discover before the vendor does. Because no patch exists yet, attacks exploiting it are likely to succeed.
  • A zero day exploit is the code that allows attackers to leverage the vulnerable piece of software to compromise systems; exploits are usually sold on the dark web.
  • A zero day attack is the use of a zero day exploit to disrupt, cause damage to, or steal data from a vulnerable system.

Why are zero days relevant to third party risk management?

Dealing with unpredictable zero day vulnerabilities is one of the greatest challenges faced by today’s security teams. They can either affect the organization directly or indirectly, through its third party vendors with access to the network.

Log4j is the most recent reminder of the impact zero day vulnerabilities can have in entire supply chains, after it was discovered that the vulnerability could allow attackers to seize control of nearly everything from industrial control systems to web servers and consumer electronics. Until the patch was released, every organization and vendor using the open source Apache logging library Log4j was vulnerable.

This is why vendor risk assessments and continuous monitoring of your third parties’ security performance are the pillars of a third party risk management program.

As part of your due diligence and ongoing reassessment processes, you need to make sure that your vendors are enforcing standards that keep your business safe. Should a zero day vulnerability appear, you need to be able to promptly:

  1. Identify vulnerable third party vendors in your supply chain
  2. Ask them how they are planning to react and mitigate the vulnerability
  3. Update your requirements and request additional assurances

All of these actions need to be conducted with a centralized, standardized third party risk management process, as opposed to chasing vendors via email and using spreadsheets to assess their security level.

Free Guide: How to build a scalable vendor risk management program

How to protect your organization against zero day attacks

Software is written by humans, and humans are fallible. Developers create software every day, but unbeknownst to them, it may contain vulnerabilities. This makes zero day attacks inevitable, as attackers often spot those vulnerabilities before the developers detect and act on them.

So how can you minimize risk in your organization and across your vendor supply chain?

Zero day protection measures include:

  • Keeping all software and operating systems up to date, installing patches as soon as they become available. Security patches often cover newly identified vulnerabilities.
  • Enforcing security standards as part of your vendor risk assessments and updating your requirements if needed after a zero day is discovered.
  • Performing continuous monitoring and reassessment of your vendors as opposed to point-in-time calendar evaluations.
  • Using a layered defense strategy, combining antivirus, firewall, and other security solutions, with security mechanisms like zero trust or MFA.
  • Educating users on cybersecurity best practices, especially amid flexible work arrangements; many zero day attacks capitalize on human error.
Let us show you how to stay ahead of zero day attacks
Explore ThirdPartyTrust

Don’t let zero days be “wake up calls.”

Unpredictable vulnerabilities will be an ongoing concern for security teams inthe foreseeable future.

In this guide you will learn the fundamentals of zero days, patterns from our statistical analysis, and tips to reduce risk and remediate zero days if/when they happen.

Get The Guide
Sabrina Pagnotta
Sabrina Pagnotta
Sr. Content Strategist
    • Phone
      |+1-617-245-0469
    • Address
      |
      111 Huntington Ave, Suite 2010, Boston, MA 02199
    • Sales
      |sales@bitsighttech.com
    • Contact Us
    Laika_SOC2_TypeI_PurpleIris        CSA_Trusted_Cloud_Provider

    ©2022 ThirdPartyTrust, LLC and its Affiliates. All Rights Reserved. | 111 Huntington Ave. Suite 2010 Boston, MA 02199
    • BLOG
    • PARTNERS LOGIN
    • CONTACT US
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
    Do not sell my personal information.
    Reject AllAccept
    Cookie Settings
    Manage consent

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
    CookieDurationDescription
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
    viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
    Functional
    Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
    Performance
    Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
    Analytics
    Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
    Advertisement
    Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
    Others
    Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
    SAVE & ACCEPT