zero-day
Unknown software flaw
A zero-day is a software vulnerability that is unknown to the vendor or developer, leaving no time—zero days—to fix it before potential exploitation.
In cybersecurity, zero-day attacks exploit such flaws before patches exist, making them particularly dangerous and valuable to hackers and intelligence agencies.
The term functions as both noun and adjective: The company was hit by a zero-day exploit; zero-day vulnerabilities command high prices on the black market.
Notable act or abuse
- malwareHarmful computer programs
- payloadCarried freight or charge
- wormLimbless soil invertebrate
- ransomwareHostage-taking code
spyware · backdoor · rootkit · breach · intrusion · compromise · infiltration · targeted
Notable act or abuse
- flawImperfection in something
- bugCrawling creature or defect
- weaknessDeficiency in force
- security holeSoftware flaw enabling unauthorized access
attack vector · unpatched · undisclosed · unknown · buffer overflow · privilege escalation · remote access · injection
Material covering damage
- updateNew version or information
- hotfixEmergency software repair
- mitigationReduction of severity
- workaroundMakeshift bypass of difficulty
signature · detection · antivirus · firewall · IDS · IPS · sandbox · heuristics
Reward for capture
- brokerTransaction intermediary for hire
- black marketIllicit trading system
- gray marketUnauthorized but legal trade
- bug bountyReward for finding vulnerabilities
researcher · seller · buyer · price · value · stockpile · hoarding · weaponization
exploit
Notable act or abuse
ransomware · spyware · backdoor · rootkit · breach · intrusion · compromise · infiltration · targeted · APT
exploit
Notable act or abuse
security hole · attack vector · unpatched · undisclosed · unknown · buffer overflow · privilege escalation · remote access · injection · bypass
patch
Material covering damage
- updateNew version or information
- hotfixEmergency software repair
- mitigationReduction of severity
workaround · signature · detection · antivirus · firewall · IDS · IPS · sandbox · heuristics · behavioral analysis
bounty
Reward for capture
- brokerTransaction intermediary for hire
- black marketIllicit trading system
- gray marketUnauthorized but legal trade
bug bounty · researcher · seller · buyer · price · value · stockpile · hoarding · weaponization · NSA
critical
Expressing disapproval or importance
active · emergency · time-sensitive · window · race · response time · triage · priority · severity · crisis
- cybersecurityantivirus, malware, firewall, firewalls, encryption
- cyber threatsmalware, phishing, hacking, virus, ransomware
- cyberattacksmalware, phishing, ransomware, hack, virus
- cybercrimeshacking, phishing, malware, ransomware, data breach
- vulnerabilitiesvulnerability, insecurity, weakness, self-doubt, flaw
- Cyberwarfarecyberattack, cyber warfare, cyberwar, cyber attack, cyber weapons