JavaScript is the most commonly-used programing language, according to the most recent StackOverflow developer survey. While JavaScript offers great flexibility and ease of use, it also introduces security risks that can be exploited by attackers. In this blog, we will explore vulnerabilities in JavaScript, best practices to secure your code, and tools to prevent attacks.

In this guide, we'll dive into the powerful combination of Platformatic and Fastify, unlocking rapid backend development with an emphasis on robustness and security. Whether you're a seasoned Node.js developer or just starting out, this article is a helpful start to enhancing your familiarity with Node.js PaaS environments such as Platformatic.

Apache Log4j 2, a Java-based logging library, was affected by a zero-day vulnerability on December 9, 2021. The vulnerability, known as Log4Shell and identified by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) as CVE-2021-44228, allows cybercriminals to take control of vulnerable systems and servers. Many web applications, open-source cloud platforms, and service providers utilize Log4j.

Vulnerability management is a critical aspect of vendor risk management (VRM). Organizations prioritizing third-party vulnerability management can mitigate third-party risk, ensure regulatory compliance, protect sensitive data, and maintain business continuity.

In December 2022, the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) identified exploits against vulnerable public-facing applications as the most common initial attack vector for cybercriminals, followed by attacks on external remote services such as VPNs. According to a study by CrowdStrike, exploit activity targeting cloud apps and assets grew 95% from 2021 to 2022, and instances of threat actors directly targeting cloud apps exploded by 288% during that period.

This is not a beginner’s blog post. As such, we will not tell you about the importance of securing your Kubernetes infrastructure (it’s important). However, if you are here to learn about increasing the efficiency of your security work and the blind spots you may have, you have come to the right place. You may have heard of and are already using CVSS as your gold standard for vulnerability prioritization.

One of the top security concerns we hear from technology leaders is about the security of open source software (OSS) and cloud software development. An open source vulnerability scanner (for scanning OSS) helps you discover risk in the third-party code you use. However, just because a solution scans open source does not mean you are ultimately reducing security risk with it.

EPSS is a relatively recent addition to the world of freely available security scoring systems. While it’s not without its flaws and limitations, EPSS can be a powerful predictor of exploits to come and a useful tool in your arsenal, as long as you wield it correctly.

On December 20, 2023, NIST updated a CVE to reflect a new path traversal vulnerability in struts-core. This is CVE-2023-50164, also listed on the Snyk Vulnerability database, with 9.8 critical severity CVSS. If you’ve been doing cybersecurity long enough, you remember the 2017 Equifax breach, which also took place due to an unpatched Struts vulnerability. In this post, I outline the issue, discuss its severity, walk you through a proof-of-concept exploit, and provide remediation advice.