A zero-day attack is an attack against an application or system that aims to execute malicious code thanks to the knowledge of vulnerabilities that are unknown to users and the manufacturer of the product. This assumes that they have not yet been fixed. Exploits that exploit these vulnerabilities are frequently sold on the black market. Its price is established based on its impact and the number of vulnerable devices. A zero day attack is considered one of the most dangerous instruments of a computer war.
The term zero day implies that the software developer or vendor has zero days to correct the flaw, as they are often unaware of the vulnerability before attackers begin to exploit it.
Those who are dedicated to malware are able to take advantage of these vulnerabilities through different attack routes. Example, code on websites that reveal vulnerabilities in browsers. This browsers are a special target due to their wide distribution and use. Another way to take advantage of these flaws is to use applications that open certain documents that reveal the flaws.
Examples of Zero-Day attacks
▸Stuxnet worm
This exploit, it exploited four different zero-day security vulnerabilities to launch an attack on Iranian nuclear plants. It is a self-replicating computer worm that altered the speed and sabotaged the centrifuges on the plants and turned them off.
▸Day zero vulnerability in Zoom
This vulnerability allowed an attacker to remotely execute commands on computers that had been compromised. The vulnerability affected devices using the Windows 7 operating system and earlier versions.
