Technology providers continue to face ongoing cyber threats in 2023.
Even as updates become more readily available and automatically rolled out through the cloud, many software systems remain vulnerable to cyber-attack due to flaws that have yet to be addressed through a software patch.
These so-called ‘Zero-Day vulnerabilities’ are common in mainstream software platforms and represent a continuous risk to the security of business data until they are fixed, often within a few days of being identified but sometimes longer.
This won’t come as news to many, however, awareness of Zero-day vulnerabilities and the risks they represent is worth remembering, as even the largest technology providers in the world continue to face threats from opportunistic cybercriminals.
As recently as February 2023, Apple launched a Zero-day patch to address vulnerabilities to its WebKit browser search engine within iOS 16.3.1 and iPadOS 16.3.1.
Why do Zero-day vulnerabilities happen?
The rise in cloud infrastructure and universal internet access has led to a higher frequency of updates and patches being released by software developers to continually improve their platforms.
More updates inevitably mean more potential flaws in the security of the software, which due to the complexity of most modern systems could easily be overlooked, even by industry-leading providers with large development teams.
These vulnerabilities can then potentially be exploited to commit cyber-attacks, putting critical systems and data at risk.
Often, these Zero-day vulnerabilities are identified through attempted breaches managed by the software developers themselves.
However, as in the case of the recent Apple patch, these can also be identified due to attempted attacks by malicious actors.
What does this mean for my business?
The main takeaways for businesses and their IT personnel are to remain vigilant of any potential cyber threats arising from new software updates and to stay informed of any Zero-day vulnerabilities identified by software providers, and when they will be addressed.
One of the best courses of action is to have a cybersecurity partner that can keep your software systems safe and secure ahead of any update rollouts.
To find a cybersecurity partner suited to your needs, speak to the team at YourShortlist.