IT leaders face daily trade-offs: either systems are fast, or they are secure. Either we meet compliance requirements, or we continue to innovate. In today’s complex, fast-changing environments (multi-cloud, Kubernetes, CI/CD), the goal is no longer to balance priorities — it’s to take back control.
The good news: technology has matured to the point where these trade-offs are no longer necessary. A single, unified observability platform can cover tasks that previously required multiple fragmented tools — and still lacked completeness. In this article, we explore how observability can make modern IT operations truly manageable again — without compromise.
Performance and Security — on One Platform
The maturity of modern technology makes it possible to achieve both speed and security in digital systems. The key is ensuring that data related to performance, user experience, and security all appear in one place — not across disconnected tools.
This creates shared context and enables fast, targeted action.
But what do performance and security mean in day-to-day operations?
A slow-performing transactional service might be caused by hidden resource saturation on the database side or a misconfigured load balancer routing European traffic to a far-off data center. These issues often seem minor but result in degraded user experience and lost revenue.
The same applies to security: a hidden vulnerability in a publicly exposed API or a misconfigured Kubernetes cluster may only be detected in time if the system can interpret the full picture. A new vulnerable dependency might slip through during a routine update — unless there’s a system in place that not only detects it but understands the actual risk.
In these situations, the speed and accuracy of response depend on whether the technical, security, and business context is unified.
Here are four real-world examples showing how Dynatrace enables fast, effective incident resolution when it matters most.
1. Ingress Nightmare – A Critical Kubernetes Vulnerability
In March 2025, DevOps teams across Europe sounded the alarm: a new vulnerability chain affecting theIngress-NGINX Controller had emerged — dubbed IngressNightmare. This component manages incoming traffic at the edge of Kubernetes clusters. The most severe CVE (2025-1974) enabled remote code execution — without needing access to the Kubernetes API.
The risk?
Attackers could exploit a weakness in the ingress-nginx controller to upload and execute arbitrary files, chaining configuration flaws in NGINX to achieve full cluster compromise — including data exfiltration and lateral movement.
Without Dynatrace
Organizations lacking a clear view of cluster states spent days identifying affected components, manually scanning pods and traffic flows.
With Dynatrace in place
The platform:
- automatically identified pods running vulnerable versions,
- mapped them to exposed services,
- and, based on trace data, revealed which were reachable from the public internet.
The incident response team could isolate the affected components immediately and launch predefined update workflows — while maintaining real-time visibility into impacted services, business flows, and SLAs.
The entire process was completed within hours — with no data loss, no reputational impact, and no business disruption.
2. Apache Struts 2 – The Silent Threat
By late 2024, a vulnerability in Apache Struts 2 (CVE-2024-53677) was already present in production environments. Yet everything seemed fine. Applications functioned normally, with no errors or noticeable degradation.
The flaw allowed attackers to manipulate file upload parameters and remotely execute malicious code on the server. As a classic remote code execution (RCE) scenario, it was especially dangerous because it left few traces — unless real-time, context-aware observability was in place.
Without observability
Weeks could pass before signs of compromise appeared — suspicious files, unauthorized scripts, altered user permissions. Investigating the root cause took days — if it was identified at all.
With Dynatrace Runtime Vulnerability Analytics
The platform:
- pinpointed applications using the vulnerable version,
- detected execution paths where the exploit was active,
- and issued alerts when exploit conditions were met.
This allowed security teams to intervene before the attack could be completed. The vulnerability didn’t go unnoticed, and it never escalated.
3. CrowdStrike Update – Global Outage, Minimal Impact
On a quiet July morning in 2024, IT dashboards lit up with alerts: widespread Windows crashes, downed services, and frozen customer portals.
The cause? A faulty CrowdStrike update. A misconfigured sensor pushed to production triggered an instant “blue screen of death” on over 8 million Windows machines.
Though not an attack, the impact was severe: hospitals, airlines, banks — all affected. The first question every IT team asked: “Which systems are down, and where do we start?”
Without observability
Troubleshooting began manually — audit logs, version checks, cross-referencing crash reports. The greatest challenge wasn’t the fix — it was identifying the scope of impact. Every hour lost added business, financial, and reputational risk.
With Dynatrace
The platform:
- instantly showed which hosts were affected,
- mapped service dependencies and critical components,
- correlated impact with user experience and business processes.
Response efforts started with clear priorities, not guesswork. The crisis was managed with visibility and precision — ensuring continuity despite the disruption.
4. Log4Shell – When a Log Entry Is All It Takes
In December 2021, a blog post exposed a severe vulnerability in Apache Log4j. CVE-2021-44228 — Log4Shell — allowed attackers to execute code remotely via simple, crafted text in any log entry.
The vulnerability exploited how Log4j resolved embedded JNDI lookups, automatically fetching and executing malicious payloads from attacker-controlled servers. No password required. No authentication. Just one crafted string.
Without observability
Most IT teams didn’t know how many services used Log4j — or which ones were internet-exposed. Fixes took days or weeks. In some cases, compromise occurred before risk was even understood.
With Dynatrace
Organizations with a unified observability platform were ahead of the curve. The system:
- automatically mapped all Log4j-using components,
- identified vulnerable versions in real time,
- flagged public exposure,
- and detected attack patterns in log streams (e.g., JNDI exploit strings).
Security teams could act quickly, with complete context — avoiding guesswork and reducing risk before incidents escalated.
Conclusion – Visibility Is Control
The lesson from recent years is clear: risk moves faster than manual response. Today’s IT environments are too complex to rely on fragmented tools and partial data.
A unified observability platform isn’t just another solution. It’s the foundation for reliable operations, proactive security, and confident decision-making.
With the right platform in place, organizations can accelerate performance and strengthen protection — at the same time.
Telvice
At Telvice, we support organizations looking to build a more transparent, secure, and resilient IT foundation. Our team helps select, implement, and optimize observability platforms aligned with your goals.
Request a free demo or consultation — we’re here to support your success.
