Overcoming Zero-Day Attacks! Effective Endpoint Measures

Zero-day attacks are cyberattacks that exploit undiscovered vulnerabilities, posing a serious threat to businesses.

Endpoint devices, in particular, are at the forefront of these attacks, making effective countermeasures essential.

This article discusses the latest security measures to protect endpoints from the threat of zero-day attacks.

Zero-Day Attack Threats
1. What are Zero-Day Attacks? Definition and Characteristics
2. Attack Mechanisms and Impact on Companies
3. Why Zero-Day Attacks are Rapidly Increasing
Security Risks Faced by Endpoints
1. Role of Endpoints and Increasing Risks
2. New Threats from Remote Work and BYOD
3. Security Challenges in Mobile Devices and IoT
Latest Trends in Effective Endpoint Countermeasure Technologies
1. Evolution of Next-Generation Antivirus (NGAV)
2. Effectiveness of EDR
3. Threat Detection Technologies Using AI/Machine Learning
Summary

1. Zero-Day Attack Threats

Zero-day attacks are cyberattacks that exploit vulnerabilities before security patches are available.

Traditional security measures struggle to address these attacks, which can significantly impact corporate systems.

Here, we will take a closer look at the definition and characteristics of zero-day attacks, and the impact on companies.

1-1. What are Zero-Day Attacks? Definition and Characteristics

A zero-day attack is an attack that exploits the period between when a software vulnerability is discovered and when a fix patch is released.

Because this attack exploits unknown vulnerabilities, it is difficult to detect with traditional security measures and has a very high success rate. Attackers can exploit vulnerabilities to infiltrate systems and take various malicious actions during this “zero-day” period.

Therefore, software vendors and corporate security teams strive to minimize the time from vulnerability discovery to release of a fix patch, but it is still difficult to prevent completely.

1-2. Attack Mechanisms and Impact on Companies

Zero-day attacks typically begin with attackers discovering unknown vulnerabilities.

After that, they develop malware and infiltrate the target system.

Once the intrusion is successful, the attacker can embed backdoors or steal confidential data, so the impact on the company is significant. Leakage of confidential information directly threatens the company’s competitiveness and may damage relationships of trust with customers and partners.

Financial losses are also serious, and in the case of ransomware attacks, a ransom may be demanded.

Furthermore, public disclosure of a security incident will significantly reduce social trust, and there are concerns about long-term business impact.

1-3. Why Zero-Day Attacks are Rapidly Increasing

There are several reasons why zero-day attacks have been increasing rapidly in recent years.

First, the industrialization of cybercrime can be cited.

Sophisticated hacker groups are organized and efficiently launch attacks.

Also, the expansion of the vulnerability trading market is a major factor.

Unknown vulnerabilities are said to be traded at high prices, and this is thought to be promoting the discovery of new vulnerabilities.

Furthermore, the sophistication and ease of availability of attack tools is accelerating the increase in attacks.

The emergence of open-source attack tools and malware-as-a-service (MaaS) makes it possible to launch attacks even without advanced technical skills.

In addition, we cannot overlook the increase in potential attack targets due to corporate digitization.

The spread of cloud services and the increase in IoT devices are expanding opportunities for attackers.

2. Security Risks Faced by Endpoints

Endpoints are devices that connect to a company’s network and are also the most vulnerable part of a cyberattack.

Here, we will explain the specific security risks that endpoints face due to the spread of remote work and BYOD.

2-1. Role of Endpoints and Increasing Risks

An endpoint refers to a device located at the end of a network.

Specifically, this includes PCs, smartphones, tablets, etc., which serve as entry points to the company’s network.

For this reason, endpoints are targets of cyberattacks.

Changes in the business environment can be considered as a background to the increasing risks faced by endpoints.

With the spread of mobile devices, employees can now access corporate networks from outside the office.

As a result, it has become difficult to provide sufficient protection with conventional boundary security.

In addition, the expansion of cloud service usage has resulted in the dispersion of data storage locations and the complexity of management, which poses new risks.

2-2. New Threats from Remote Work and BYOD

Remote work, which has spread rapidly since the COVID-19 pandemic, and the use of personally owned devices for work (BYOD: Bring Your Own Device) also pose new security risks. The increase in remote work has significantly increased access from outside the corporate network, requiring monitoring and defense of a wider range of network traffic.

In addition, while the introduction of BYOD improves employee convenience, it also presents the challenge of managing the security of personally owned devices.

Connecting devices that are not managed by the company to the internal network increases the risk of malware infection.

Furthermore, there are concerns about the increase in shadow IT.

If employees use applications or cloud services that are not formally authorized by the company, the risk of data leakage may increase.

2-3. Security Challenges in Mobile Devices and IoT

The proliferation of mobile devices and IoT devices is further complicating security management.

Mobile devices have a high risk of loss or theft, and there is a risk that confidential information within the device may be leaked to the outside.

Also, the risk of malware infection through applications cannot be ignored.

Cases have also been reported in which malicious applications disguised as legitimate applications steal users’ personal information and corporate data.

Regarding IoT devices, firmware vulnerabilities are a major issue.

Many IoT devices are often not designed with sufficient security in mind, and are not frequently updated, making them an easy target for attackers.

Furthermore, communication security between devices is also an important issue.

Unencrypted communication and vulnerable authentication mechanisms increase the risk of man-in-the-middle attacks.

3. Latest Trends in Effective Endpoint Countermeasure Technologies

Traditional antivirus software detected threats based on signatures of known malware and viruses, but it did not provide sufficient protection against zero-day attacks and unknown threats.

On the other hand, next-generation antivirus (NGAV) utilizes behavioral detection and heuristic analysis to achieve high effectiveness against unknown threats. In particular, real-time threat detection capabilities play an important role against zero-day attacks.

3-1. Evolution of Next-Generation Antivirus (NGAV)

EDR (Endpoint Detection and Response) is a technology that detects suspicious activity at endpoints in real time and enables rapid response. This allows for early detection of zero-day attacks and other unknown threats, and allows you to take action before damage spreads.

EDR monitors for signs of attack and helps with forensic analysis after an incident occurs, helping to identify the cause of the attack and prevent recurrence.

3-2. EDR Effectiveness

Threat detection technologies using AI and machine learning are one of the most advanced countermeasures in endpoint security.

Threat detection systems using these technologies learn complex patterns from vast amounts of data and can detect subtle anomalies that human analysts may miss.

For example, pattern recognition using machine learning algorithms makes it possible to identify even new types of malware that have never been seen before as threats based on their behavior.

It also enables high-speed analysis of large amounts of security logs and real-time threat detection and response.

This makes it possible to respond to new attack methods that could not be detected with conventional signature-based measures, and also makes it possible to respond to zero-day attacks with high accuracy.

3-3. Threat Detection Technology Using AI/Machine Learning

Store backups at a location separate from the site where the original data is stored.

Even in the event of devastating damage due to an accident or disaster, data can be recovered and business can be continued if backups are stored in a remote location that is less susceptible to the impact.

Summary

Zero-day attacks are a threat that poses a serious security risk to companies.

In particular, because endpoint devices are the target of attacks, companies need to introduce the latest endpoint security technologies and build a strong defense system.

By introducing next-generation antivirus, EDR, and threat detection technology that utilizes AI, it is possible to increase defense against zero-day attacks and minimize risks.

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