The Log4j vulnerability (CVE-2021-44228) is an InfoSec risk to your IT. Log4j is an open-source project that provides libraries for logging application behavior, system activity, or other categories of event data. Log4j has been vulnerable to arbitrary code execution since its inception, which means any Log4j instance could be tricked into running malicious code on the host machine. If you are concerned about this vulnerability and want to know what you can do to mitigate it, find out more below.
What’s the Log4j vulnerability about?
Logging is an integral part of most applications. Logs help developers and engineers understand what went right and wrong with their software products, which can aid in diagnosing problems that the user may be experiencing. Identifying a new vulnerability in something that has already been widely adopted in existing projects around the web usually stirs up a lot of noise both in the B2B and B2B space. So what are some aspects to consider and check around this Log4j vulnerability?
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You can do a few things to help protect yourself from the Log4j vulnerability and mitigate risks. First, if you are using Log4j in your applications, make sure they are updated to the latest version. Second, be careful about what code you include in your Log4j files. Only use trusted code that has been verified and is known to be safe. Finally, consider using an alternative logging solution until Log4j fixes this vulnerability. There are several other open-source logging solutions available that may be a better fit for your needs.
The following bullets are both for immediate use but also for general cybersecurity handling of risk.
- Log4j is an open-source project that provides libraries for logging application behavior, system activity, or other categories of event data.
- Log4j has been vulnerable to arbitrary code execution since its inception, which means any instance could be tricked into running malicious code on the host machine.
- If you are using Log4j in your applications, make sure they are updated to the latest version.
- Be careful about what code you include in your files. Only use trusted code that has been verified and is known to be safe.
- Consider using an alternative logging solution until Log4j fixes this vulnerability. There are several other open-source logging solutions available that may be a better fit for your needs. Check out Logstash, rsyslog, and Splunk for some options.
- If you cannot switch logging solutions, be sure to take extra precautions to protect your systems from this vulnerability. Log4j is just one piece of your security puzzle – don’t rely on it exclusively to keep your data safe. Make sure you have a comprehensive security strategy in place that includes multiple layers of defense.
Make sure you stay on top of the patches and fixes coming up and find out more about this issue on the dedicated Apache Security Vulnerabilities page.
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If you find out more details about how you can patch this issue, you can also watch the guide video below by Arto Santala from the DevXplaining YouTube channel.
YouTube: CVE-2021-44228 (Log4Shell) – in 7 minutes or less
Photo credit: The feature image is symbolic and was prepared by Prostock Studio.
