It is no secret that computer viruses are a complete nuisance to all users. After all, that's what they were created for. Over time, cyber attacks have become more sophisticated and difficult to detect and that is why in many cases cybercriminals have escaped after causing a lot of damage.

Currently, there are many antiviruses that reduce the negative impact of cyber attacks. Many of them are well recognized like Norton, McAfee, and Avira. But what sometimes happens is that antivirus programs tend to recognize threats that already exist, and in cases where they are faced with zero-day viruses, it may happen that they won't identify the new malware.

In this blog, I will be writing about 3 ways to protect your information from zero-day virus attacks.

What is a zero-day virus?

When a virus is discovered and cannot be detected and/or eliminated by the existing antivirus, it is called a zero-day virus. In the same way, you can come across zero-day malware and worms. Regardless of the type of virus, it is, if not treated promptly it can cause serious damage.

After a security expert identifies the flaw, the race between the expert and the hackers begins. It's about developing a patch as soon as possible while hackers exploit that vulnerability. Security experts will try to find the solution in a short period of time to compromise as little confidential information as possible.

Zero-days attacks in history

• Sony Pictures Entertainment

In 2014 Sony suffered an attack by hackers who identified a vulnerability that allowed them to access relevant information exchanged between senior executives of the film studio through emails. They also stole business plans, contracts, and scripts. In addition to the complete copies of five unpublished films that aspired to win prizes.

• National Democratic Committee

In 2016 the DNC suffered one of the best-known attacks in history. Hackers of Russian origin were reported to have identified around six vulnerabilities in Java and Flash programs. As a result, they accessed emails exchanged between well-known political figures in the United States. The stolen information was later published on the Wikileaks site.

How to protect your information from a zero-day attack

There is no perfect solution to avoid being a victim of a zero-day attack, but there are some actions you can take to reduce the risks of finding yourself in that situation.

1. Keep all the programs on your computer updated. Outdated software can present greater vulnerabilities and will end up exposing your information to hacker attacks.

2. Use good antivirus software, paid software is usually better at identifying and removing threats.

3. Firewalls offer protection too. But you should include enabling regular updates of databases and virus definitions so that you have a better chance of being protected against the newest threats.

While being a victim of virus attacks is sometimes unavoidable, you should always try to ensure that the opportunities for hackers to invade your privacy are as few as possible.

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