The “Heartbleed” bug, known for it’s encryption of pings sent between use and website, has introduced a new threat to the world of cyber-security. The bug will best be recognized by the small lock image in front of the URL on websites which protects users information such as passwords, usernames and even social security numbers. This new bug has the ability, not only to hack this connection, but to do so unnoticed. David Chartier, executive at Codenomicon stated that, “bad guys can access the memory on a machine and take encryption keys, usernames, passwords, valuable intellectual property, and there’s no trace they’ve been there.” Major websites such as Facebook and PayPal have already said to have fixed the bug and are now encouraging members to change passwords and proceed with caution. The security team at Yahoo suggested: “This might be a good day to call in sick and take some time to change your passwords everywhere — especially your high-security services like email, file storage and banking, which may have been compromised by this bug.”
I find this to be a good example of the real threat of cyber-attacks and hacking. In an article posted last week, it was mentioned that governments are starting to place a larger importance on detecting and combatting cyber-attacks, predicting that they will become more prevalent, and serious, in the very near future. I believe that this bug is a perfect illustration of how dangerous hacking and other security threats online can be. It is so important for us, as members of such a technology-enriched world, to be aware of these issues and take the appropriate security measures to keep our information safe.
BYU Kennedy Center Live 
Articles like this make me wonder how much is out there that we have no idea about. My biggest issue is that my memory isn’t the best so changing all of my passwords every so often is easier said than done.
I feel that the most essential thing to do in situations like these is to raise awareness as quickly as possible. Who knows how long this has been going on, but the quicker that knowledge about the hack spreads across the internet the quicker it will stop in its tracks. In my personal experience I have tried not to divulge to much of my personal information on the internet so it’s not there in the first place for people to take. As long as government agencies are employing the latest techniques to detect schemes such as these we will be okay. It’s inevitable that the “hackers” will be caught.
I agree with the fact that issues like this should be will known throughout the world in order to help reduce the effects. It is important that we are careful with the information we put on our devices and if there is anything too personal we should find a way to keep it off our devices or to protect it better when it is on.