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Zero day vulnerabilities are previously unknown flaws that attackers exploit before a patch or fix exists, leaving defenders with no time to respond. They can appear anywhere in the software stack, from operating systems and APIs to open source libraries and cloud services, making them one of the most challenging and dangerous threats to detect and prevent.

What is a Zero Day Vulnerability?

A zero-day vulnerability is a flaw that is discovered and exploited by attackers before the vendor has any chance to fix it. Because there is no patch, signature, or public awareness, defenders have zero days to respond. These vulnerabilities are prized by attackers for their stealth and potential to cause rapid, widespread damage.

Where Do Zero Day Vulnerabilities Occur?

Zero day vulnerabilities can emerge anywhere software executes. They are often found in operating systems, applications, browsers, APIs, third-party libraries, or cloud-based services that support modern applications. As software supply chains grow more complex, these hidden flaws can spread through dependencies, allowing attackers to compromise containers, APIs, and CI/CD pipelines long before traditional defenses detect any anomaly.

What Are Some Real-World Examples of Zero Day Attacks on Applications?

Several high-profile zero day attacks have exposed how quickly unknown vulnerabilities can be weaponized and how deeply they can impact modern applications. Each case underscores the importance of runtime visibility and rapid detection.

Notable examples from 2025 include:

SAP Visual Composer (CVE-2025-31324) – A zero day vulnerability in SAP Visual Composer allowed unauthenticated file uploads that could lead to full system compromise. Discovered in early 2025 and confirmed as actively exploited, it demonstrated how weaknesses in enterprise development platforms can expose critical business data and workflows.‍
Microsoft SharePoint Server (CVE-2025-53770) – This zero day in Microsoft SharePoint enabled remote code execution without authentication, allowing attackers to gain complete control of affected servers. Exploited in mid-2025, it underscored how collaboration platforms can become high-value targets for threat actors.‍
Ivanti Endpoint Manager Mobile (CVE-2025-4427 and CVE-2025-4428 ) – A zero day vulnerability in Ivanti Endpoint Manager Mobile, formerly MobileIron Core, allowed attackers to bypass authentication and execute arbitrary commands on affected servers. Exploited before a patch was released, the flaw enabled full system compromise across enterprise mobile management environments and was later confirmed by CISA as an actively exploited zero day.

Why Are Zero Day Attacks So Dangerous?

Zero day attacks are dangerous because they weaponize the unknown. When a vulnerability is discovered by attackers first, there are no patches, no signatures, and no alerts. Organizations don’t even realize they are vulnerable until exploitation has already begun.

Once a zero day is in play, speed and invisibility work in the attacker’s favor. Within hours, automated exploit kits can scan the internet for unpatched systems, deploy payloads, and move laterally across cloud environments before security teams have time to react.

Key Insight

On average, zero day exploits remain undetected for over 100 days in enterprise environments before being patched, according to multiple industry studies.

At the application layer, this danger is amplified. A single zero day in a dependency or API can silently compromise entire workloads. Traditional defenses built on known CVEs and rule sets can’t identify these threats because there’s nothing yet to match against.

In practice, that creates three distinct risks:

Speed of exploitation: Attacks begin within hours of discovery
Hidden propagation: Vulnerabilities spread through shared libraries and microservices
Targeted disruption: High-value systems like collaboration tools or payment APIs are often first hit

The result is a perfect storm of invisibility and impact that can only be contained through runtime awareness.

How Are Zero Day Attacks Prevented?

There’s no patch for a vulnerability that no one knows exists. That’s why defending against zero day attacks is less about closing known gaps and more about recognizing unfamiliar behavior in real time. The goal is not to predict every exploit, but to detect when something in your environment starts acting in a way it shouldn’t.

Traditional patch management and vulnerability scanners can’t protect against what hasn’t yet been disclosed. Instead, organizations rely on continuous monitoring, adaptive segmentation, and runtime controls that can identify and contain attacks as they unfold.

True prevention isn’t about guessing the next exploit. It’s about tightening the environment so unexpected behavior stands out instantly.

Modern prevention practices focus on four layers of defense:

Runtime monitoring: continuously track application logic and system calls to detect deviations from normal behavior
Segmentation and least privilege: limit access and isolate workloads so one compromised component doesn’t expose the rest
Threat intelligence correlation: use AI models to connect early indicators of compromise with known attacker patterns
Virtual patching: deploy temporary runtime rules that block exploits until a permanent code fix is released

Together, these defenses turn detection into prevention—shrinking the attacker’s advantage from months to minutes.

How Do Zero Day Vulnerabilities Affect Applications?

Modern applications depend on open source components, APIs, and containerized services. This interconnected environment allows zero day vulnerabilities to spread quickly across multiple layers of the software supply chain.

At runtime, a zero day can:

Compromise containers: Inject malicious payloads that persist across deployments
Manipulate APIs: Exploit trust between microservices
Bypass defenses: Masquerade as normal data flows, evading traditional scanners

How Does Runtime Security Defend Against Zero Day Attacks?

Runtime security focuses on protecting applications as they execute. Instead of relying on known CVEs or rule-based detections, runtime protection analyzes live behavior to detect and stop unknown threats in real time.

Detect Abnormal Patterns

Runtime security continuously monitors application activity to identify behaviors that deviate from expected logic flows. By recognizing these anomalies early, it can detect and contain attacks that signature-based systems would miss.

Prevent Exploitation

These solutions actively block attack chains at the application layer before they can compromise workloads or data. This proactive approach stops zero-day exploits in progress, even when no patch or update exists.

Correlate Behaviors

Runtime security connects seemingly isolated events to uncover coordinated, multi-step exploits across containers, APIs, or microservices. This correlation helps security teams understand attack intent and reduce time to response.

Automate Defenses

When new threats are detected, the system automatically generates runtime rules to prevent similar activity in the future. This self-learning capability continuously strengthens protection against evolving attack techniques.

Traditional vs Runtime Protection Against Zero Day Attacks

The difference between traditional security and runtime protection becomes clear when you compare how each responds to zero day vulnerabilities.

Aspect	Traditional Security	Runtime Security (Miggo)
Detection Method	Signature and CVE-based	Behavioral and predictive analysis
Response Speed	After public disclosure	Real-time during attack
Coverage	Known vulnerabilities only	Known and unknown vulnerabilities
Adaptability	Manual patching required	Automatic protection through runtime rules
Visibility	Perimeter-focused	Embedded in application execution

Aspect:
Detection Method

Traditional Security:
Signature and CVE-based

Runtime Security (Miggo):
Behavioral and predictive analysis

Aspect:
Response Speed

Traditional Security:
After public disclosure

Runtime Security (Miggo):
Real-time during attack

Aspect:
Coverage

Traditional Security:
Known vulnerabilities only

Runtime Security (Miggo):
Known and unknown vulnerabilities

Aspect:
Adaptability

Traditional Security:
Manual patching required

Runtime Security (Miggo):
Automatic protection via runtime rules

Aspect:
Visibility

Traditional Security:
Perimeter-focused

Runtime Security (Miggo):
Embedded in application execution

How Does Miggo Protect Applications From Zero Day Attacks?

Miggo’s runtime-native platform eliminates the visibility gap that allows zero day exploits to thrive. Its technologies continuously monitor behavior, predict threats, and automatically block malicious actions even before official patches exist.

Core technologies include:

AppDNA: Builds a runtime behavioral map of applications to expose abnormal activity and predict exploit paths
Predictive Threat Intelligence: Simulates how attackers may combine unknown vulnerabilities, anticipating exploits before they appear in the wild
WAF Copilot: Generates and deploys adaptive rules in real time, blocking novel attack payloads without disrupting legitimate traffic

Miggo transforms zero day defense from reactive patching to proactive runtime protection that continuously shields applications from unseen risks.

Reach out to our team to learn how our solutions can provide the visibility and control you need to secure your data against hidden threats.

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