Cybersecurity

Zero-day attacks: How DoD should defend from the unknown

Department of Defense networks are evolving away from signature-based protection to more effective strategies that could stop a potentially devastating damage from a zero-day attack.

Signature-based protection identifies viruses and malware by comparing them to a database of known signatures. Zero-day threats, however, exploit a previously undisclosed vulnerability in software or hardware — so no registered signature.

Zero-days are capable of creating serious and complex problems before anyone realizes that something is wrong. Once an exploit has been detected, it requires an immediate response, usually in the form of a software patch that seals the vulnerability before further damage can be inflicted on the network.

http://www.c4isrnet.com/story/military-tech/cyber/2016/02/29/zero-day-attacks/81115366/