You must have already heard about the Heartbleed bug. For our brother and sisters living off the grid, the Heartbleed bug is a nasty OpenSSL bug that has left thousands of websites vulnerable to attacks by the bad guys. There is even a list circulating on the net of some of the websites affected by the Heartbleed bug.
Hongkiat.com
The initial reaction was a request for folks to change their passwords for websites affected by the bug, but details have emerged that the Heartbleed bug has crept its way to Android Smartphones and Tablets. This is a not late April Fools joke as the Heartbleed bug can steal credit card numbers and other sensitive details about you.
However, there is an interesting twist to the HeartBleed bug on Android. Google had confirmed earlier that all versions of Android are safe except for Android 4.1.1 [Jelly Bean]. Coincidentally, Android 4.1.1 runs on about 34% of all Android devices, thus raising quite a scare.
develpoers.android.com
This is one of the core reasons why device manufacturers and some mobile service providers are moving in to issue a patch for the vulnerability. The Android ecosystem is quite fragmented, and unlike let’s say iOS, the Android update cycle is painfully slow.
It will, therefore, be weeks or months before all devices running Android 4.1.1 get the patch.
Blackberry is also moving in to issue an update for its Blackberry Messenger for Android. iOS users are in the luck zone after Apple confirmed that its iDevices are not affected by the bug.
Here is a list of websites affected by the Heartbleed bug.
Stay safe, Change the passwords to all affected accounts.
Source: [telegraph.co.uk]
Kevin is a tech enthusiast and the lead writer at MobiTrends.co.ke. He has been writing about smartphones and tech related topics since October 2012. About Us | Contact Us
