Zero-Day Vulnerabilities

This briefing aims to offer a clear definition of zero-day vulnerabilities and their threat environment and to identify and explain some of the key challenges surrounding and responding to them.

Document Highlights

Zero-day vulnerabilities are bugs or weakness in software code that are not publicly known and can be exploited by malicious actors. Because they cannot be consistently predicted and there is often little that organizations can do to prevent them, zero-day vulnerabilities are an ongoing concern for individuals and organizations. In addition, much of the activity around zero-day vulnerabilities takes place on the black market. As zero-day attacks continue to have major effects and consequences, we must consider best practices and technical assessments to make sense of zero-day challenges and prevention strategies.

This briefing aims to offer a clear definition of zero-day vulnerabilities and their threat environment and to identify and explain some of the key challenges surrounding and responding to them. It concludes by offering five recommendations that can help organizations mitigate the effects of these vulnerabilities and attacks.