No Patch, No Mercy – The Top 10 Zero-Days You Must Know!

 In 2024, several significant zero-day vulnerabilities were identified and exploited across various platforms.

Zero-day vulnerabilities, Here are some of the most impactful ones:

1. Android Kernel Privilege Escalation (CVE-2024-53104): CVE-2024-53104 is a high-severity security vulnerability affecting the Android operating system's kernel, specifically within the USB Video Class (UVC) driver. This flaw allows attackers to escalate their privileges on the device, potentially leading to unauthorized access or control.

2. 7-Zip Mark of the Web (MotW) Bypass: A significant security vulnerability, identified as CVE-2025-0411, has been discovered in the popular file archiver 7-Zip. This flaw allows attackers to bypass the Windows Mark-of-the-Web (MotW) security feature, potentially leading to unauthorized code execution.

3. Citrix Code Injection Vulnerability (CVE-2024-3519):Citrix has discovered a serious security flaw, CVE-2023-3519, in its NetScaler ADC and NetScaler Gateway products. This vulnerability allows hackers to remotely run malicious code on affected systems without needing to log in. In simple terms, attackers can take control of a vulnerable device from anywhere, potentially stealing data, disrupting services, or spreading malware. Because this flaw does not require authentication, it poses a high risk to organizations using these Citrix products.

4. Cisco Privilege Escalation Vulnerability (CVE-2023-20198):Cisco has discovered a serious security flaw in its networking devices, tracked as CVE-2023-20198. This vulnerability allows hackers to gain full administrative control over affected Cisco routers and switches without needing a password.

5. GoAnywhere MFT Remote Code Execution (CVE-2023-0669):In early 2023, a critical security flaw, identified as CVE-2023-0669, was discovered in GoAnywhere MFT, a secure file transfer solution developed by Fortra. This vulnerability allows attackers to execute malicious code on affected systems without needing to log in.

6. Accellion File Transfer Appliance Vulnerability (CVE-2021-27101): In 2020, the Cl0p group exploited a zero-day flaw in Accellion's product, leading to significant data breaches.

7. GhostRace (CVE-2024-2193): In March 2024, researchers from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and IBM Research Europe discovered a serious security weakness in modern computer processors, called GhostRace (CVE-2024-2193). This flaw affects chips made by major companies like Intel, AMD, ARM, and IBM, potentially putting many devices at risk.

8. TikTag Attack on ARM's Memory Tagging Extension:Researchers unveiled the TikTag attack, which targets ARM's Memory Tagging Extension (MTE) in v8.5A CPUs. They demonstrated proof-of-concept exploits affecting Google Chrome and the Linux kernel, emphasizing the need for stronger security protections in modern processors.

9. Zero-click vulnerability : In 2024, hackers took advantage of a major security flaw in SimpleHelp's Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) software (CVE-2024-57726-28). This weakness allowed them to break into networks and stay hidden, using tools like Sliver and Cloudflare tunnels to prepare for ransomware attacks.

   At the same time, another dangerous vulnerability was found in Synology Photos, a default app on many Synology NAS (Network Attached Storage) devices. This "zero-click" flaw meant attackers could take full control of a device without any user action, letting them steal data or install ransomware. Even though a security fix was released, many devices remained vulnerable because updates weren’t applied automatically.

10. Ivanti's Connect Secure and Policy Secure Gateways: vanti's Connect Secure and Policy Secure gateways are critical components in many organizations' network infrastructures, providing secure remote access and policy enforcement. However, several vulnerabilities have been identified in these products, some of which have been actively exploited.

    1. CVE-2025-0282: A critical vulnerability that allows unauthenticated remote code execution. Ivanti has released patches to address this issue.

    2. CVE-2025-0283: A high-severity vulnerability enabling local authenticated attackers to escalate privileges. Patches are available for affected products.

    3. CVE-2024-21888: A privilege escalation vulnerability in the web component of both Connect Secure and Policy Secure, allowing attackers to gain elevated privileges equivalent to an administrator.

    4. CVE-2024-21893: A server-side request forgery vulnerability in the SAML component, permitting attackers to access restricted resources without authentication