Trend Micro marks two decades of its Zero Day initiative
In the ever-evolving world of cybersecurity, one name stands out for its significant contributions: Trend Micro's Zero Day Initiative (ZDI). Launched in 2005 as a project by TippingPoint, a division of 3Com, ZDI has since grown to become the world's largest and most successful manufacturer-independent program for vulnerability research.
Over the past 17 years, ZDI has made the digital world safer for everyone by ensuring that software bugs are fixed by vendors before they can be exploited. The program has played a key role in improving the overall security landscape by bridging the gap between independent security researchers and vendors, reducing the window of exposure to critical exploits.
ZDI has been instrumental in discovering and reporting a vast number of critical zero-day security flaws in widely used software and hardware products. These discoveries have enhanced industry awareness and driven vendors to patch vulnerabilities faster through its responsible disclosure process.
One of the most notable discoveries made by ZDI researchers was a bypass for protective measures in Internet Explorer, for which they received $125,000 from Microsoft. Another significant finding was two zero-days in Apple's QuickTime for Windows, leading Apple to discontinue support for the product.
The technique discovered by ZDI was so novel that it was patented. In 2023, a Trend ZDI researcher won a Pwnie Award for "Most Under-Hyped Research" for discovering a completely new exploit class: Activation Context Cache Poisoning.
Trend Micro's ZDI boasts a global threat research team of over 450 full-time researchers in 14 global threat centers, as well as an extended community of more than 19,000 independent vulnerability researchers. In 2024, ZDI accounted for 73% of responsible disclosures, more than all other participating providers combined.
ZDI's efforts have extended beyond the cybersecurity industry. For instance, the program has repeatedly helped thwart covert state operations, including the APT "Black Energy" that targeted Ukraine multiple times in recent years.
Trend Micro's enterprise cybersecurity platform, which incorporates ZDI's findings, centralizes cyber risk management, security operations, and multi-layered protection for local, hybrid, and multi-cloud environments. This platform protects businesses worldwide from hundreds of millions of threats daily, thanks in part to the valuable insights provided by Trend Micro's global threat research team.
In 2016, Trend Micro took over responsibility for the Zero Day Initiative following the acquisition of TippingPoint. Today, Trend Micro continues to be a leading global provider of cybersecurity solutions, with ZDI at the forefront of its efforts to ensure a safer digital world for all.
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