Log4j

In the midst of the ongoing media whirlwind, the Log4Shell vulnerability of 2021 and the Equifax breach of 2017 stand as stark reminders of how crucial it is to maintain full visibility into the open-source components embedded in your systems. Both incidents underscore the risks that arise from a lack of awareness regarding the open-source software you’re relying on, which played a pivotal role in the severity of the breaches.

Take Log4j, for example—many development teams were unaware of how, where, or even if their applications were using the open-source logging tool. This lack of awareness was often due to Log4j being deeply nested within various dependencies, well beyond the reach of routine code audits. When the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued an emergency directive, demanding federal agencies identify every instance of Log4j in their software, assess the potential vulnerabilities of their systems to the Log4Shell exploit, and patch affected servers—all within 10 days—many teams found themselves scrambling. With the holiday season in full swing, developers spent their December trying to locate vulnerable Log4j versions, racing against the clock to prevent a potential security catastrophe.