What is a likely outcome of a zero day exploit being left unaddressed?

A zero day exploit refers to a vulnerability in software or hardware that is known to the vendor but has not yet been patched. Leaving such an exploit unaddressed means that attackers can exploit this vulnerability without facing immediate consequences.

The likely outcome of allowing a zero day exploit to remain unaddressed is an increased vulnerability to attacks. This occurs because as the exploit remains active, it can be leveraged by malicious actors to gain unauthorized access, steal data, disrupt services, or cause other types of damage. Since there is no available patch or fix, systems remain exposed, potentially leading to a slew of security incidents that could affect both the organization and its users.

In addressing the other options, improvements in data transmission rates, enhanced user access privileges, or comprehensive data encryption typically require proactive measures and specific implementations, which are not consequences of ignoring a zero day exploit. Instead, these actions are part of security enhancement strategies that can be implemented independently of addressing existing vulnerabilities.