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Frontiers in Cybersecurity: Battling Zero-day Attacks and Advanced Persistence Threats

Book Title: Exploring the Frontiers of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Technologies

Editors:  Mr. Agha Urfi Mirza and Dr. Balraj Kumar

ISBN:  978-81-970457-9-0

Chapter: 2

DOI:   https://doi.org/10.59646/efaimltC2/133

Authors:  Dr. R. Padmavathy1 and Nasir Hurrah2

1Assistant Professor (SS), Department of Electronics and Communication engineering, Dr NGP Institute of Technology, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India.
2Postdoc Fellow, Department of Electronics Engineering, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Abstract:

The dynamic landscape of cyber threats continues to evolve, with a significant surge in the prevalence of zero-day attacks and advanced persistent threats (APTs). This chapter provides a comprehensive exploration of these sophisticated threats and outlines the potential consequences for individuals, businesses, and critical infrastructure. In the first section, the evolving nature of cyber threats is introduced, emphasizing the key characteristics of zero-day attacks and APTs. The inherent difficulties in defending against zero-day attacks are discussed, highlighting the limitations of traditional security solutions such as firewalls and antivirus software. Challenges related to identifying and patching vulnerabilities before exploitation by attackers are also examined. The second section delves into the stealthy persistence of APTs, elucidating the sophisticated techniques employed in gaining initial access, establishing persistence, and evading detection. The third section introduces frontiers in cybersecurity defense, focusing on emerging technologies and methodologies that enhance our ability to combat zero-day attacks and APTs. Behavior-based detection is discussed, involving monitoring system activity for anomalous behavior as an indicator of an attack. Additionally, the chapter explores the effectiveness of deception and sandboxing techniques, involving the creation of decoy systems to lure attackers and analyze their behavior in a controlled environment.

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