What Is Heartbleed?
The Secure Sockets Layer protocol protects just about every website in the world that encrypts data in transit. Last week a vulnerability was discovered in OpenSSL, the implementation of SSL and Transport Layer Security that's used in about two-thirds of those servers. In the days that followed, the reporting that surrounded the revelation was a stew of raw panic, hot tempers and hyperbole, with a sprinkling of misinformation. Here are some essential facts about OpenSSL, the so-called Heartbleed vulnerability, and how, why and whether it should concern the companies with which you do business.