Zero-Day Vulnerability: Exploitation & Defense

In the high-stakes world of cybersecurity, few threats inspire more concern than zero-day vulnerabilities. These previously unknown security flaws give attackers a significant advantage—the opportunity to exploit weaknesses before vendors can develop patches or defenses. Recent research indicates that zero-day exploits increased by 140% in 2023[1], with state-sponsored actors and cybercriminal organizations investing heavily in discovering and weaponizing these vulnerabilities. Understanding zero-day vulnerabilities requires examining both sides of the security equation: how attackers discover and exploit these flaws, and how defenders can detect, mitigate, and respond to attacks leveraging unknown vulnerabilities.