Your Favorite Apps and Sites Might Be at Risk

Cybersecurity affects every facet of digital technology. If a device can connect to the internet, it can pose a risk if not properly protected. So it is with even popular apps and sites like Twitter, iCloud, and Steam; these services are all vulnerable.

According to Vice, a Java logging library (known as log4j) contains a bug that makes it possible for hackers to implement Remote Code Execution. RCE lets hackers take control over the device in question. GitHub and the Director of Cybersecurity at the NSA alike are highlighting the dangers of this bug.

Log4j is reportedly “in almost every Java application,” which makes this situation especially bad. Apple, Microsoft, CloudFare, and Valve have not responded to the situation thus far, but the company’s apps and services are under threat of this bug.

We can see the real-like effects of this bug in Minecraft; researcher Marcus Hutchins wrote on Twitter that “attackers were able to get remote code execution on Minecraft Servers by simply pasting a a short message into the chat box.”

Hopefully, a fix for this bug can be implement as soon as possible.