Heartbleed is the popular name for a vulnerability found in a huge range of security technology that powers the Internet and many private networks.  Not all systems have this hole but many do - including some of the most popular commercial and social media websites.  Heartbleed is not a virus.  Up to date antivirus software will NOT protect you.

Heartbleed can potentially be leveraged to reveal secure information including passwords, social security numbers, credit card numbers, and more.

The security community is taking this matter very seriously and so should you.  The flaw has been around for a while.  The security company that discovered the flaw announced it before patches were widely available.  Many systems have already been patched but not all have.

Heartbleed does not affect Windows-based servers or services including Office 365.  It affects mainly Linux-based servers and network devices.  Linux powers a big chunk of the Internet and many network devices including many firewalls.  Whether you use your phone, tablet, Windows PC, or Mac -  remote websites and services (including apps) that you care about may be compromised.

Here is what you should do:

• To check the status of the 100 most popular websites, follow this link: http://www.cnet.com/news/which-sites-have-patched-the-heartbleed-bug 
• To check the status of other websites, follow this link:  http://filippo.io/Heartbleed 
• Follow any recommendations affected websites provide on changing passwords after the site has been patched.
• Avoid sites that haven't been patched yet and don't change your password until they have been patched.
• Closely monitor your bank accounts, credit cards, social media sites, and any other site you care about for suspicious activity.  

Tobin Solutions managed services customers whose agreements include patching will automatically get patched for Heartbleed as patches are made available.  Please contact us for more information or questions.

--Tobin Solutions Security Team