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Log4j: Data Encryption & Breach Protection

Log4j Demands Encryption

Log4j attacks continue to unfold as organizations around the world rush to patch and mitigate the Log4j vulnerability. It’s urgent that organizations take immediate action to safeguard their most sensitive data with encryption — whether it’s intellectual property, customer data, or regulated information such as ITAR, HIPAA, or CJIS data.

breach-prepared

40%

of corporate networks globally have seen Log4j exploit attempts1

100

Log4j hacking attempts made every minute1

3B

devices worldwide are currently running Java2

Log4j: What Is It, and How Should Organizations Respond?

What’s Log4j?

Log4j is a hugely popular piece of open source code that is commonly used by more than 12 million Java developers as they work to build millions of software applications that underpin core business functions in every conceivable industry. On December 9, 2021, a new vulnerability was discovered in the Log4J open source library.

Has Log4j been implicated in any breaches?
  • Confirmed: Thus far, Log4j has been acknowledged as the exploit path in one high-profile breach at the Belgium Defense Ministry.
  • SuspectedLog4j is suspected, but not yet confirmed, as the exploit path associated with several other large-scale ransomware attacks, including Kronos and Brazil Ministry for Health.
  • Expected: Numerous indicators suggest that Log4j will be implicated again and again in the coming weeks, months, and even years. Nick Biasini, Head of Research at Cisco Talos, said, “It’s only a matter of time before we see more ransomware attacks due to Log4J.”
Why is the Log4j vulnerability so dangerous?

As CISA director Jen Easterly said, “Log4j is the biggest security crisis in the history of the internet.” Why is this true?  There are three simple reasons: it’s ubiquitous, it’s severe, and it’s simple to exploit.

  • Ubiquity: The vulnerable Log4j code is embedded in millions of software applications.
  • Severity: The Log4j vulnerability is classified as a Remote Code Execution (RCE) flaw, making it the most dangerous type of software bug there is. RCE vulns allow a malicious actor to do whatever they want and execute any code of their choice on a remote machine over the internet.
  • Simplicity: The Log4j vulnerability is remarkably simple to exploit, which, combined with its ubiquity and severity, make it a significant threat to organizations of all sizes and across all industries.
How can organizations mitigate Log4j risk?

Due to the Log4j zero-day crisis, the world is now guaranteed to experience a significant increase in ransomware and cyber crime aimed at stealing sensitive data. Microsoft researchers report that they have seen hackers exploit the Log4j vulnerability to install crypto-miners, steal passwords and logins, and exfiltrate and ransom data. In light of this sobering reality, there are four steps that organizations can take to mitigate risks:

  • Keep eyes open for signs of breach (Extended Detection & Response, or XDR)
  • Update network config and firewall rules (Web Application Firewalls, or WAFs)
  • Patch vulnerable libs in production apps (Software Bill of Materials, or SBOM; and Software Composition Analysis, or SCA)
  • Encrypt sensitive data everywhere it moves (Trusted Data Format (TDF), equipped by Virtru)
What’s the fastest and best way to protect sensitive data from Log4j risk?

To protect sensitive information, the highest priority for every organization should be to encrypt their data as fast as possible. Doing so will enable companies to safeguard their most crucial information — whether it’s intellectual property, customer data, or regulated information such as ITARHIPAA, or CJIS data.

What’s the fastest and best way to encrypt sensitive data?

Virtru is. With quick deployments and encryption capabilities that span across your software ecosystem (including Google CloudMicrosoft 365, and SaaS apps such as Salesforce), we stand ready to help your organization quickly and strategically deploy encryption to safeguard your most vital asset — your data.

In the Wake of Log4j, Data Encryption is Urgent

Hackers are actively exploiting this vulnerability, targeting governments, enterprises, and software ecosystems everywhere. Encryption is essential to ensure data remains protected — safeguarding each data object with Zero Trust data protection wherever it travels, regardless of whether a network or software environment has been compromised.
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Data is the common denominator.

Data is the ultimate target of a cyber attack. An attack may breach your network, but if the data itself is encrypted, it remains inaccessible to a hacker or any other third party. Following Log4j, data encryption — at the data level, not just the network level — is critical for resilience.

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Cyber attacks are now a guarantee.

Cyber attacks are escalating in frequency and scale, targeting governments, enterprises, and software ecosystems everywhere. Get breach-ready by applying encryption that encompasses the entire life cycle of the data — in transit, at rest, and in use. Consider your entire software ecosystem and the full scope of sensitive data you’re entrusted to protect.

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Encryption is your first and last line of defense.

Should your firewalls, patches, or network protections fail, the Virtru Trusted Data Format, with its split-knowledge key architecture, strengthens your resiliency and control in the face of a breach. Following Log4j, data encryption can safeguard your most essential information: Manage your keys on-prem or in a private cloud for optimal security.

“In case of a data breach, because the emails are encrypted, the fraudulent actors trying to access our corporate data would have a far more difficult path before accessing encrypted confidential and private information. So, this really increases our level of resiliency.”

– Alfonso Razzi, CIO, Toto Holding Group

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How Could a Data Breach Impact Your Organization?

Any time there’s a data breach, there are financial consequences. The average cost of a data breach is $3.86 Million4. In the wake of Log4j, consider these potential breach impacts, in addition to noncompliance penalties and fines:

damages
Civil damages

for individual victims and their PII, and class action lawsuits are becoming one of the most expensive consequences of a breach.

theft
Theft of trade secrets and intellectual property (IP)

can significantly derail business growth, competitive differentiation, and future sales.

termination
Risk of job termination

for those in charge of and most tied to data, security, and IT and potential company-wide employee turnover.

lost-business
Lost business

often accounts for the bulk of breach costs because it includes high customer turnover and brand damages that hinder new growth.

disruptions
Operational disruptions

including process breakdowns and lost employee productivity that could affect over half the business’s annual income.

reactive
Reactive costs

including notifying individuals whose data was breached and hiring external experts to help resolve the breach and repair brand image.

Virtru’s Trusted Data Platform Strengthens Breach Readiness

Following Log4j, data encryption should be a key priority for organizations of all sizes as they fortify their breach readiness strategies.

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Trusted Data Format (TDF)

Open data protection standard for object-level encryption that binds data to policies and metadata to ensure only authorized users can access protected information.

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Key Management

Split-knowledge architecture integrates with existing key management processes and Hardware Security Modules (HSMs). Host your own keys for complete control over who can access private data.

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Software Development Kit (SDK)

Embed Virtru’s data-centric protections into your custom applications to give customers, patients, and members ownership and control over the private data you collect, process, and store.

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Discover how your organization can bolster confidence and breach readiness with Virtru's end-to-end, data-centric encryption.