Heart Bleed Bug

A bug in the supposedly secure encryption software Open SSL was announced last week along with various descriptions of what it meant to you the end user and how to protect yourself.

Yes, it is serious. Yes, it could affect you if you do Internet banking, pay by credit card online, log in to any secure sites.The bug potentially allows a “hacker” to get hold of the key that allows your encrypted data to be deciphered. This could mean some sniffing hacker might be able to get hold of your password, your credit card details or other private stuff.

Most websites have already updated their software and are no longer vulnerable.  But as the bug has existed for two years in the software undetected by security analysts, its possible your data has already been exposed.

CNET has posted a list of 100 popular sites. Check the list.

PCAuthority gives a good description of the bug

LastPass has a site checker – use it to see if any website you are using is vulnerable

Main thing is:

– Change your passwords
– Make them complex
– Don’t use the same one on multiple sites

This is a good opportunity to make sure you are safe online.