Zero-day web malware blocks have risen rapidly, says web
security firm ScanSafe.
In its monthly
Global Threat Report, ScanSafe said the rate of zero-day
malware blocks increased in November to 26% of blocks.
The number increased significantly from the 16% of zero-day
malware blocks reported in October and the 19% monthly average
reported for the year.
The latest high-profile zero day threat to surface is the
Internet Explorer browser exploit, which has just been patched
by Microsoft after being in the wild for a week.
A zero-day attack sees hackers exploit a vulnerability before
the software provider realises there is a problem and has time to
fix it.
"Throughout November, attackers were more intent than ever on
ensuring the malware they used would bypass traditional security
measures," said Mary Landesman, senior security researcher at
ScanSafe.
"Given the dynamic and costly nature of today's web threats,
real-time scanning of web traffic before it reaches the enterprise
is more essential than ever."