"Log4j Vulnerabilities Put Strain on Overburdened Cybersecurity Workforce"

Since the discovery of Apache Log4j vulnerabilities in 2021, the cybersecurity workforce has been trying to patch systems, reduce the intensity of network intrusions, and manage other critical activities at the same time. The significance of these vulnerabilities and the remediation process have taken a toll on the cybersecurity workforce, which already suffers a shortage of professionals. Apache Log4j is a widely used Java framework that enables application logging features. The widespread use of Log4j makes the vulnerabilities threatening as they could have catastrophic security consequences for healthcare and other sectors if not patched immediately. The Health Sector Cybersecurity Coordination Center (HC3) warned the healthcare sector of the severity of the Log4j vulnerabilities, stating that Log4j is a common application used by many enterprises and cloud applications, including several large and well-known vendors. Therefore, the health sector is likely impacted by the vulnerabilities to a large-scale extent. HC3 observed the China-based threat actor HAFNIUM exploiting the vulnerabilities, together with Conti and PHOSPHOROUS. According to HC3, US entities made up 43 percent of all exploitation attempts in late January 2022. Microsoft also saw high rates of Log4j exploitation attempts involving establishing remote shells, red-team activity, coin mining, and mass-scanning. Patching legacy devices is difficult, thus putting a strain on the cybersecurity workforce. (ISC)² surveyed 269 cybersecurity professionals working closely with Log4j vulnerabilities and remediation efforts. Over half of the respondents revealed that their team spent weeks or months remediating Log4j vulnerabilities, and almost half of the respondents said they sacrificed weekends and holidays to work on remediation. One respondent predicted that Log4j vulnerabilities would never be eradicated as the actual impact of the vulnerabilities has not yet been realized. A previous study from (ISC)² found that the current cybersecurity workforce must grow by 65 percent to adequately protect critical assets, but these results were collected before the discovery of the Log4j vulnerabilities. These vulnerabilities will likely continue to put additional stress on cybersecurity professionals across all industries. This article continues to discuss the Log4j vulnerabilities and their long-term effects on the cybersecurity workforce.

HealthITSecurity reports "Log4j Vulnerabilities Put Strain on Overburdened Cybersecurity Workforce"