• Some Good Advice About Log4j Mitigation Gotchas

  January 24, 2022 Timothy Prickett Morgan

  The Apache Log4j logging utility written in Java and available since the end of the Dot Com Boom in early 2001, has been installed far and wide into many systems and systems software packages in the more than two decades it has been available. And that is why the zero-day security vulnerability discovered by Chinese computing giant Alibaba on November 24 last year and revealed on December 9 has caused so much concern.

  Log4j is everywhere and that means the Log4Shell vulnerability that Alibaba described makes it particularly scary. But before we get into some of the mitigation advice that …

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• IBM i PTF Guide, Volume 24, Number 3

  January 19, 2022 Doug Bidwell

  Another new security bulletin in this week’s edition of the IBM i PTF Guide. The IBM i Extended Dynamic Remote SQL server (EDRSQL) is affected by CVE-2021-39056, which could allow a remote authenticated user to send a specially crafted request and cause a denial of service. Learn more details and find out how to resolve at this link.

  The IBM i PTF numbers containing the fix for the CVE are:

  • Release 7.4 – SI77996
  • Release 7.3 – SI77995
  • Release 7.2 – SI78002
  • Release 7.1 – SI78040

  Here is the rundown of PTF Groups by IBM i release level:

  PTF …

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• IBM i PTF Guide, Volume 24, Number 2

  January 12, 2022 Doug Bidwell

  The Log4j and Log4Shell saga continues here in the second edition of the IBM i PTF Guide in 2022, which is a fast follower to the one we published just two days ago. IBM has issued a new Security Bulletin, explaining that IBM i components are affected by CVE-2021-4104 (Log4j version 1.X), and the full details about the security exposure and mitigation techniques can be found at this link.

  Here are the affected products and their versions:

  • IBM Navigator for i (heritage version only): IBM i 7.4, 7.3, and 7.2 – the heritage version
  • Integrated Web Services Server (IWS):

  …

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• IBM i PTF Guide, Volume 24, Number 1

  January 10, 2022 Doug Bidwell

  While we were away on holiday, the Log4J and Log4Shell vulnerabilities hit the enterprise systems of the world, including the IBM i platform. So right off the bat here with the first edition of The IBM i PTF Guide in 2022, we want to point you to Big Blue’s Log4j/Log4Shell on IBM i update, which will help you figure out if you are vulnerable. See more at this link.

  Here are the Security Bulletins for this:

  Security Bulletin: Vulnerability in Apache Log4j (CVE-2021-44228) affects Power HMC V9

  Security Bulletin: Vulnerability in Apache Log4j (CVE-2021-44228) affects Power HMC V8

  Security …

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• Thoroughly Modern: Time To Develop Your IBM i HA/DR Plan For 2022

  December 6, 2021 Josh Osborne

  Disasters and unplanned downtime can hit any company at any time – regardless of where its applications or data sits. Establishing a high availability and disaster recovery (HA/DR) plan is paramount to getting your mission critical IBM i applications and your business back up and running – fast!

  2021 saw its fair share of challenges. Everything from bush fires to earthquakes to flash floods, and the continuation of the pandemic. And, those are just the ones mother nature sent our way. The manmade risks in the form of cyberattacks and ransomware also grew exponentially in 2021. With over 30,000 security …

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• IBM i PTF Guide, Volume 23, Number 48

  December 6, 2021 Doug Bidwell

  It is a fairly light week for PTF patches for the IBM i platform, so we are going to go off the board a little bit here in the IBM i PTF Guide this week. Winter is coming and while plenty of us love this season, or all four of them, some of us are not happy when the snow flies.

  Well, after watching this video here, which you should do when you actually have 18 minutes and 49 seconds to really pay attention, you will never look at snowflakes quite the same way again. An amazing hobby from …

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• IBM i PTF Guide, Volume 23, Number 47

  December 1, 2021 Doug Bidwell

  We hope you enjoyed a few days off over the Thanksgiving holiday if you’re here in the U.S., but we never sleep here in IBM i PTF Land and it’s time to get back to business. If you haven’t been keeping up on your PTFs, now is a good time to get caught up. Don’t let it lapse into the New Year, we promise you’ll feel better when it is done. This week, there is not too much to worry about, just a few HIPERs you should review. Read on to get the latest, and be sure to utilize the …

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• IBM i PTF Guide, Volume 23, Number 46

  November 17, 2021 Doug Bidwell

  If you are on older releases of IBM i 7, you are getting a breather this week when it comes to PTF patches for your systems. There just ain’t a lot going on, and in the operating system and security world, you take that as a win. Those of you on the IBM i 7.4 release, you have a few things to think about but it is fairly straightforward and related to the Db2 for i database and for those of you who have it, the Db2 Mirror for i database clustering software.

  Here is the rundown of PTF Groups …

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• IBM i PTF Guide, Volume 23, Number 45

  November 10, 2021 Doug Bidwell

  Don’t get hyper, but there are new High Impact/Pervasive PTFs that you need to take a look at for the supported releases of the IBM i platform. Those are HIPERs in the IBM lingo. There are also some patches for Temporary Storage PTFs that you also need to be aware of.

  Here is the rundown of PTF Groups by IBM i release level:

  PTF Groups 7.4:

  • HIPERs
  • Temporary Storage PTFs

  PTF Groups 7.3:

  • HIPERs
  • Temporary Storage PTFs

  PTF Groups 7.2:

  • HIPERs

  PTF Groups 7.1:

  • Nothing going on here, as is typical but not always true.

  New (or Updated) Links for …

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• IBM i PTF Guide, Volume 23, Number 44

  November 3, 2021 Doug Bidwell

  Here is to hoping that all of you enjoyed the Halloween weekend, which is the unofficial beginning of the holiday season here in the United States at least. Mercifully, this has been a quiet week on the PTF front. Don’t get used to it. The situation never stays this way for very long. Variety, like the colors of the leaves and the seasons of the year, is the stuff of life.

  Here is the rundown of PTF Groups by IBM i release level:

  PTF Groups 7.4:

  • MQ for IBM i – v7.1.0/v8.0.0/V9.0.0/V9.1/V9.2
  • QMGTOOLS

  PTF Groups 7.3:

  • MQ for IBM i

  …

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