If your website has an SSL certification to take credit cards online, secure email forms, or internal secure chat forums, the Heartbleed Bug is a real threat to your site’s security. If you are a hosting customer of Zenergy Works, this vulnerability has been addressed. If not, please review.
The Heartbleed Bug attacks a vulnerability in the popular OpenSSL cryptographic software library. This vulnerability allows access to the information protected by the SSL/TLS encryption. SSL/TLS provides communication security and privacy over the Internet for applications such as web, email, instant messaging (IM), and some virtual private networks (VPNs).
The Heartbleed bug allows anyone on the Internet to read the memory of the systems protected by the vulnerable versions of the OpenSSL software. This compromises the secret keys used to identify the service providers and to encrypt the traffic, the names and passwords of the users, and the actual content.
There is a fix, but it must be implemented immediately to avoid a loss of secure data. Fixed OpenSSL has been released and is ready for implementation by software providers, web hosting services, and appliance providers.
Bottom Line: As a business owner, it is vital that you either have eyes and ears everywhere on the internet to spot threats like the Heartbleed Bug, or that you have a webmaster (internal or external) with their finger on the pulse of new threats and developments that can affect the security of your website data.
Eric Van Cleave is a Partner in Zenergy Works, a Santa Rosa, California based Website Development, National SEO and Online Marketing Firm.