Question

An e-commerce company recently identified suspicious activity on its web-based application, suggesting a zero-day exploit. The security team suspects that a vulnerability in the application might be under active exploitation by malicious actors before the company identified and patched it. With no known fixes available for a zero-day exploit, what should be the initial course of action for the security team to minimize potential damage and safeguard the application and its users?

a. Immediately shut down the web-based application until a fix is available.

b. Implement intrusion detection systems and application firewalls.

c. Implement additional monitoring and logging to detect any malicious activity.

d. Continue normal operations and closely monitor the situation for any further signs of exploitation.

Answer 1

Option c is the correct answer. The initial course of action for the security team should be to implement additional monitoring and logging to detect any malicious activity. They should also consider implementing intrusion detection systems and application firewalls. Continuing normal operations while closely monitoring the situation is also important.

Step-by-step explanation:

The initial course of action for the security team to minimize potential damage and safeguard the application and its users should be to implement additional monitoring and logging to detect any malicious activity. By closely monitoring the web-based application, the security team can identify and respond quickly to any signs of further exploitation. This will allow them to gather important data and information about the attackers' methods and tactics, which can then be used to develop appropriate countermeasures and enhance the overall security of the system.

Implementing intrusion detection systems and application firewalls can also help mitigate the risk of potential damage caused by the zero-day exploit. These security measures can help identify and block unauthorized access attempts, abnormal behavior, and malicious activities. They provide an extra layer of defense to protect the application and its users until a fix becomes available.

Continuing normal operations while closely monitoring the situation is also important. This approach allows the company to maintain its services to users while still being vigilant for any signs of exploitation. The security team should remain proactive, continuously analyzing logs and network traffic, and collaborating with cybersecurity experts to develop and implement additional security measures.