Ever since the Heartbleed bug afflicting the otherwise highly secure OpenSSL protocol was discovered, the internet has been a flurry of security warnings. Lookout‘s new app now helps Android users see if the Heartbleed bug affects their devices.
Since the bug was discovered, most major services have already rolled out patches to take care of it. However, there still are many such services which are vulnerable and for that reason, you should be on the alert regarding the security of your online accounts as well as any other devices using the OpenSSL protocol, such as smartphones and tablets.
Android devices could be directly affected by the said bug if they aren’t patched already. To see whether or not your device is vulnerable, Lookout’s app called ‘Heartbleed Detector‘ is a great help. The app, like the name suggests, simply detects the exact version of OpenSSL your device is running.
If it is not the latest, patched version, Heartbleed Detector will look closely and see if the vulnerability in the OpenSSL has somehow affected your handset. It must be noted here that not every device running OpenSSL’s vulnerable version has necessarily lost data. However, now that the bug is out there in the open, hackers would try to exploit it to steal data more actively. So there’s a critical need for updating to the patched version as soon as possible.
Heartbleed Detector lets you know exactly what kind of data on your Android device has been compromised as a result of the vulnerability; or that your data is still safe despite the vulnerability and how you can permanently secure it.
The good news for Android users is that since Google is among the first to have broken the story, the company is aggressively dishing out updates and patches for all its services. This includes Android, so you can expect a patch for your Android device soon if it is not already here. Meanwhile, you can keep tabs on your device’s security using Lookout’s timely app. You can download the app here.
Source: Lookout
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