The Heartbleed encryption error has taken the interwebs by storm this week. The bug that was discovered in the popular OpenSSL encryption software has seemingly been around for over 2 years, as the result of a coding error on New Year’s Eve in 2011.
It has been estimated that over 500,000 websites could have been affected by Heartbleed. The bug allows a hacker to repeatedly access the memory of data servers and steal vital user data. Social security numbers, credit card numbers, banking info, passwords, usernames, and sensitive information are all up for grabs. Most companies that utilized the version of OpenSSL that was affected by Heartbleed have taken the proper steps to patch the vulnerability by now. However, it is suggested that a person change all of their passwords across the web.
ServerMonkey.com was not affected by the Heartbleed Bug, as our servers use a version of OpenSSL that was not at risk.
CNET has provided a listing of the top 100 sites in the U.S that have been asked if they were affected by Heartbleed. The list is live and constantly updating once information is provided. If you are not sure whether a site you frequent has been compromised, contact them directly and change your password anyway.
