A new security threat has been discovered–Shellshock, also known as the “Bash bug” for affecting the Bash program in Linux and Unix systems. You may have heard of this as it has been compared to Heartbleed, the virus that hacked into data on millions of computers this summer. The main issue that system administrators are experiencing with Shellshock is that it affects “a common bit of code that is used all over the place,” according to Robert Graham, security expert and CEO of Errata Security. Currently, nobody knows exactly how to fix Shellshock and solving the overall problem has been estimated to take months to years, though security companies and even the US Department of Homeland Security have been releasing patches to help aid affected servers.
What’s the issue? Well, with Shellshock, hackers can potentially send commands to a computer without being an administrator. This means that not only can they steal data, but also destroy data, plant malware, shut down networks, or launch attacks on websites.
Should you be terrified? No, but keep your eye out in the news for any updates. If your banks are using older networks, there’s a possibility that your financial information is at risk, so being on top of which companies are creating patches for their systems is important. Experts are also recommending not using your credit cards online for the next few days. And as always, don’t visit sketchy looking websites or give out personal information, and remember to update your anti-virus software.
The upside is that not all networks running Bash can be affected by Shellshock. Not only that, but this mistake in the code has been around for roughly a decade. Certainly, now that the news is out about this security vulnerability, hackers will be focusing on targeting Bash programs. But as fast and cunning as hackers are, so are the thousands of security experts working tirelessly to fix this error.
If you have any questions about protecting yourself from malware or anti-virus software, please contact the Nerds. We offer affordable, honest and reliable virus removals, as well as installation of our favorite trusted virus removal software.