🪢 There has always been this tug-of-war between what is “comfortable” vs. what is “healthy”, since ages, and has been more of discussion with technology proliferation in our day to day affairs.

👨🏻‍💻 Software developers, while documenting and logging an application’s physiology, tend to be creative and use “variables” in making the program’s footprint more meaningful.

🤗 This is exciting, I mean how helpful it is to read and refer software logs if it contains useful runtime informations. In simple terms, knowing current directory, resource utilisations etc. while writing a piece of information in software logs bears enormous intelligence.

🎯 Personally I am a fan of using this methodology. I am not a software developer, but used this technique in automating alerts for link latency, resource utilisation using SolarWinds NPM. Back in year 2007-2008 I learned SolarWinds from Rajiv Bahl. I was mesmerised by the innovative approaches he used in using MS Visual Basics in demonstrating resiliency in key network components, animated presentations for packet flow, and most importantly harnessing the power of SolarWinds’s SQL database (in using key tables) in forming SLA reports. I took this inspiration and learning to level next in automating link latency alerts. So the boring latency, flap, jitter alerts were replaced with formally drafted email alerts starting with “Dear Team, I am ROUTERXXX…” and having a body of message embedding key values of troubleshooting importance, being called using SQL queries.

🧞‍♂️ This was magic. When I did this alert automation for call centre links and an automated SMS/Email when latency exceeds 170ms from Sydney to Mumbai; was highly appreciated by service management team. We were more proactive, excellent customer satisfaction, and I secured an “innovation Award” for that quarter.

🧐 When I look back, I see myself so charged with innovation and undermining security challenges it brings home. With CISSP, my lens changed so my frame of reference and I started to think these past memories from a totally new frame of reference. I don’t see it was bad from a security standpoint, but this Log4J, kind of rekindled my past life of using variables and bringing automation-driven intelligence to logging.

📚 The details are already documented here: [https://www.cygenta.co.uk/post/log4shell-in-simple-terms], and I will encourage people to read this excellent piece for a quick understanding.

🧪🔬 Using variables gives great power and ease. It make us use information in more intelligent way saving huge time and effort, but this ease comes at the cost of misusing these variable driven intelligence mechanism.

Log4J/Log4Shell is a classical example of this paradox we are faced with. Some enjoy ease and innovations, other enjoy exploitation and evil; and some stands guarding the castle. This is IT and every one enjoys what they love the most.

#security #log4j #log4jvulnerability #cissp #ccsp #solarwinds #grc #technology