New Dangerous Vulnerability
A recently discovered exploit is sending shockwaves through the cybersecurity world. The vulnerability known as CVE-2021-44228 or Log4Shell, involves the Java logging framework Apache Log4j. Logging is very important because it is how developers log activity in an application. Log4Shell is a significant problem because it affects many enterprise services and apps. The vulnerability can easily be exploited to take control of affected systems remotely and from there hackers can practically do anything they want.
The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) sent out a warning that the vulnerability is actively being exploited. Researchers have already found hackers attempting to exploit Log4Shell to install ransomware, create botnets, mine cryptocurrency, and steal data. Nearly every Java based software and server are potentially vulnerable. Many email services, cloud platforms and online applications utilize Log4j. This includes Apple, IBM, Cloudflare, Amazon, and Microsoft. Microsoft has even warned Minecraft players about the exploit and instructed them to patch their systems if they are playing the Java version.
Because of how commonly used Log4j is and the severity of the vulnerability, some security experts are calling this the worst vulnerability of the last decade. Updating some services will be challenging for developers because they are running legacy software. As the average user, you should install updates for services you are using as you get them. Developers have been working overtime to patch this vulnerability as the number of malicious actors looking to exploit it rapidly rises.
