Internet Security Systems

Concerns over the extent to which internet security systems can prevent cyber-attacks have been raised by the specter of “Zero day” vulnerabilities. In March 2010 Microsoft acknowledged that significant issues exist in editions of Internet Explorer published since 2001. These internet security system flaws are referred to as Zero day issues because they become known to hackers before the software designers are aware of them. Attacks on internet security systems based on these flaws, referred to as exploits, are then launched before the point at which designers know about the vulnerabilities or have the opportunity to modify them. Dealing with Zero day flaws is a major problem for an internet security system in part because it is difficult or impossible to say when the hackers might have discovered them. The long period before Microsoft discovered the existence of issues with its products illustrates the size of the problem. Though Internet Explorer 8, the company’s latest edition of its popular browser, does not have the new internet security system flaw, Internet Explorer 6 and 7 can allow hackers to remotely execute attacks on users’ computers. As of yet, there have been no major attempts to breach internet security systems through this flaw. but Microsoft has announced that attackers have been attempting to do so.

Exploits take several different forms. Users who visit malicious websites can expose their browsers to being scanned for vulnerabilities. Another method for delivering Zero day attacks uses e-mail attachments, which then detect flaws in the programs used to open them. Users should be aware that internet security systems can be easily violated by Zero day exploits when they use poorly written software, which will reveal vulnerabilities quickly to hackers. An effective internet security system against Zero day exploits is the technology of whitelisting, which only allows applications known to be safe to have access to a computer. Because users may find that enabling whitelisting has the effect of blocking too many programs, and might function best if combined with other internet security systems. Rather than relying on internet security systems, users might choose to wait for Zero day issues to be discovered in new versions of software being upgrading to those editions. Though major flaws in internet security systems can always be potentially discovered, many such issues are discovered by software designers before they can be exploited by hackers.

Research into these internet security system issues is conducted on a regular basis by both potential attackers and security researchers. Ethical questions have been raised about the manner in which they are researched and disclosed. Some firms specializing in internet security systems buy weaknesses that are discovered by researchers in order to study how they operate. Legislative bodies have, however, differed on whether these practices should be allowed, and some have ruled that software developers must be informed of internet security system flaws with time to address them before such knowledge can be made public. Informed computer consumers should remain aware of the issues raised with internet security systems by Zero day flaws.