Heartbleed, Why you need to Know it


Early this month, something was discovered which is a great threat to those of us who are now living our life "online". It is the heartbleed bug, it was discovered a member of the google's security team and the software security firm, Codenomicon on the 3rd of April.



The heartbleed is not a virus but bug which affect the security system of a sever and a user. In simple words, it make the protection system of web service which is running on an openSSL open to hackers and other bad people. It make it easy for them to get every detail about you online including your password.
                                                     
Heartbleed is a serious security threat that has the potential to expose users' private information, including passwords, financial details and instant messages, among other things.

Google recently announce that android 4.1.1 devices are vulnerable to this bug which means that if you are using such device then you need to be no the watch to prevent unwanted leaks. You may say; "how am I the nobody be concern with something like this," but from reports everybody who has anything like account online is under threat since gaint like Google, Twitter, Facebook, etc are all vulnerrable to this bug.
                                                            
Here is a question and answer section on the heartbleed bug, hope it will be helpfull

What is Heartbleed?

Heartbleed is a bug in the code running on the servers of millions of websites. It leaves open a hole that allows hackers to get in and around the encryption between you and the site. This means that the information stored on the servers, and passed between you, could be stolen.

Why it is called the Heartbleed Bug?

Bug is in the OpenSSL's implementation of the TLS/DTLS (transport layer security protocols) heartbeat extension (RFC6520). When it is exploited it leads to the leak of memory contents from the server to the client and from the client to the server.

Is this strictly a threat that is only on the Internet?

Just the Internet: Sites running OpenSSL.

Is Heartbleed a virus?

Not exactly. It is a hole that could leave websites and user information open to attack.

What is leaked protected content and how to recover?

This is the actual content handled by the vulnerable services. It may be personal or financial details, private communication such as emails or instant messages, documents or anything seen worth protecting by encryption. Only owners of the services will be able to estimate the likelihood what has been leaked and they should notify their users accordingly. Most important thing is to restore trust to the primary and secondary key material as described above. Only this enables safe use of the compromised services in the future.

Has a list of the major sites using OpenSSL been compiled?

There are millions of sites that use OpenSSL, so a full list might not be that easy to peruse. LastPass unveiled a tool to help you search for specific websites to find out if there are issues. [Update: We've compiled a list of popular sites and whether they were affected.]

Can I detect if someone has exploited this against me?

Exploitation of this bug does not leave any trace of anything abnormal happening to the logs.

When should we change our passwords?

Changing passwords right now might be a pointless exercise. The sites you visit could still have the vulnerability and your new password could be stolen.

If I'm running my own website, how do I protect it?

If you run OpenSSL, update it as soon as possible.

Has it affected most firewalls?

It's not really a firewall attack. If the vulnerability exists (on a site or service), the communication between you and it is open to compromise.

Is there a bright side to all this?

For those service providers who are affected this is a good opportunity to upgrade security strength of the secret keys used. A lot of software gets updates which otherwise would have not been urgent. Although this is painful for the security community, we can rest assured that infrastructure of the cyber criminals and their secrets have been exposed as well.
Q&A source: Mashables and www.heartbleed.com

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