• 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

Zero day exploits are behind half of the biggest vulnerabilities

Published by Sabrina Pagnotta on April 28, 2022
Categories
  • Blog
Tags
  • TPRM Best Practices

More than half of the most impactful vulnerabilities -67%, to be precise- started with a zero day exploit last year. And twice as many zero day vulnerabilities were exploited before vendors even had the chance to patch them than in 2020, according to a study by Rapid7.

These figures explain why the surge in zero day attacks is an ongoing concern for security teams. Businesses increasingly run on software, and software is often vulnerable to malicious exploitation.

Developers write code 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.

In its 2021 Vulnerability Intelligence Report, Rapid7 analyzed the most significant vulnerabilities, exploits, and attacks from 2021.

The study found that:

  • 43% of vulnerabilities were exploited in the wild
  • 60% have been used in ransomware attacks
  • 20 were exploited before a patch was available
  • More than half of the exploited vulnerabilities in the study were exploited in attacks within a week of their public disclosure
  • The average time to known exploitation accelerated to 12 days in 2021 from 42 days in 2020

WORRIED ABOUT ZERO DAYS MAKING THEIR WAY INTO YOUR NETWORK?

Webinar: Preventing Zero Days in Your Supply Chain
Watch On Demand

“The year 2021 started with the remnants of the Solarwinds supply chain data breach and culminated with the unprecedented Log4Shell cybersecurity incident. In between, there were many high-priority security threats that made 2021 a difficult year for vulnerability risk management teams around the globe”, stated Rapid7’s team.

Threats to the integrity of the software supply chain, an uptick in driver-based attacks, and a fresh wave of injection exploits are other notable trends detected by the researchers.

Evidence suggests zero day attacks hit an all-time high in 2021. This explains the narrowed window in exploitation time, all of which puts organizations under added pressure to respond to unpredictable threats.

If mass exploitation starts within days or hours of disclosure, it’s critically important for organizations to be good at the basics of risk and vulnerability management, so they can be prepared and execute emergency response procedures.

Guidance remains steady: layered cybersecurity is the best mechanism to protect your network, users, and business-critical data.

This includes:

  • Firewall policies to monitor incoming and outgoing network traffic based on your rules, acting as a barrier between a trusted network and an untrusted network.
  • Patch management to distribute updates to all software and firmware. Patches are important because they address bugs and vulnerabilities, closing security gaps that would otherwise leave your network vulnerable to cyberattacks.
  • Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), also commonly known as two-factor authentication, to prevent attackers from exploiting weak or compromised user credentials to access your network.
  • Endpoint protection, covering all types of devices your business uses—laptops, mobile devices, printers, cameras, IoT or smart devices (e.g., thermostats), and more. 
  • Web content and email filtering, with software that blocks users’ access to websites and online content deemed inappropriate or dangerous, and protects your network from email-based cyber threats such as phishing, ransomware, and business email compromise.
  • Security awareness training, covering cybersecurity basics and best practices to help users identify phishing emails and other common scams.
  • Robust password policy, preventing password reuse and weak passwords; considering 
  • Third party risk management (TPRM), to vet and manage your third party vendors, continuously monitor their security posture over time, and make sure they don’t increase your organization’s exposure to cyber risk.
  • Business continuity and disaster recovery plans, to mitigate the downtime and damage associated with a potential cyberattack; this will allow you to restore your data and operations from a backup, which has to be isolated and encrypted.

While headline-grabbing attacks, such as those suffered by SolarWinds, Kaseya, or Log4j have been put under the microscope, many open-source, enterprise applications, and APIs are targets of zero day attacks every day. 

Don’t let every newly found zero day be a wake-up call. Stay awake and be prepared.

Watch our webinar and learn how to stay ahead of zero days.

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