The internet is currently in a state of panic, as news of the Heartbleed bug, a virus that potentially affects two-thirds of online users, has started to spread. As such internet users have been urged to change their passwords immediately.
However, sifting through the vast amounts of reactionary news pieces reveals that you SHOULDN’T change your passwords immediately, as the sites you have been visiting may be vulnerable to the bug, therefore passing new information along to them could threaten the security of said information.
Fortunately, there are already methods that you can use in order to check whether or not the websites you visit are in danger. The Heartbleed test, which you can take right here, checks servers to see whether or not they are open to an attack from the bug. The Heartbleed test also comes in the form of a Chrome extension, which you can download here. This will check sites for vulnerability as you use them.
The Heartbleed bug has gone undetected for two years, even though it leaves roughly 66% of websites – including Google, Yahoo, Amazon and Facebook – open to huge security attacks from hackers. The bug could potentially lead to hackers acquiring information from internet users such as bank details, passwords and usernames, and as such it is highly important that you check whether or not the websites you now give your personal information to are safe from harm.
