In case you haven’t heard, a security bug was discovered recently called the Heartbleed bug. I just wanted to let you know that it is very real and very dangerous. This isn’t a new virus or malware, it is a bug in the security layer of software that many, many websites and applications use to secure data transfers (encryption). It has existed for a couple of years now which means that the chance that your password or account information has been compromised is very good.

The best thing you can do to protect yourself now is to change your passwords. If you can’t change all of your passwords, at least change the passwords that lead to your financial accounts (bank, credit cards, etc.) and your email password. However, changing your passwords before a site has fixed the issue will do you no good. Before changing your password, check to make sure the site is no longer vulnerable using this website or another like it, there are several out there. Wait until you get a positive result and then change your password.

You can read more about this everywhere on the internet, but here’s the Wiki on it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heartbleed_bug

One last thing – don’t freak out over this and let it keep you off the internet. Most major sites have already corrected the problem and you can use the above website to check on sites before using them for a while. Stick to best practices on the internet and you’ll be OK. That includes changing your passwords on a regular basis. Remember, this isn’t the first security bug ever found and it won’t be the last. This is just one of the battles, the war rages on.


Best Regards,

Roger Sprague

Before changing your password, check to make sure the site is no longer vulnerable using this website or another like it, there are several out there. Wait until you get a positive result and then change your password.