WordPress and Heartbleed?! Are you secure?!

HEARTBLEED (who comes up with these names?!) is a new vulnerability to the SSL framework that the vast majority of the internet uses everyday to encyrpt, decrypt and store our sensitive data. With this vulnerability unpatched on the server side, you run the risk of your sensitive data being availabe to anyone who can reach said site, and is a bit computer savvy.

This exploit affects a LOT of sites. Yahoo, WordPress, bank sites. Unlike many exploits the fix is server rather than client side, which means you have to wait on the site to clean itself up. So slightly problematic.

The thing you can do on the client side is once the websites have patched their vulnerability, change your password, change your password, change your password (did I mention ‘change your password’). Use unique passwords for each site, as well as difficult passwords, and change your passwords often. Every 45 days is a good way to go.

For details on the HEARTBLEED vulnerability go here:
Basic Heartbleed info, what it affects, and what you can do

Heartbleed as it relates to WordPress.com

Some sites for testing Heartbleed as well as other SSL vulnerabiliities!

ANOTHER Java vulnerability puts 1 billion users at risk?!!!

Courtesy of Computer World, on the heels of a recently released patch to address a vulnerability in Java 7, a new even more serious flaw has been found affecting users of Java versions 5,6, and 7.

Read the whole article here.

But in short, if you don’t need Java on your computer, now may be a good time to disable or uninstall it.

FAVORITE Website & Program OF THE DAY: CELESTIA?!

FAVORITE WEBSITE OF THE DAY: CELESTIA

I’m kinda double-dipping here because this is not just my favorite website of the day, it’s one of my favorite programs to use on the computer.

Just addictive as well as being fun and educational. How often does that happen?!

I’m speaking of a mad open-source astronomy project called Celestia.

You can see what I’m going on about here!

As well as here andhere!

It’s like having an endlessly configurable planetarium on your computer. The idea of creating simulations of voyages through the stars, and sampling amazing voyages and scripts that other users create… well all that functionality makes Celestia pretty close to great. 🙂

You can get download links for the program and user created voyages/scripts from the link above. Okay need to go do some Celesting now! 🙂

(Yes. it’s geeky but it’s also pretty… [wait for it]…stellar! You see what I did there? :))