Hearts aflutter as 'Heartbleed bug' threatens personal information security

This post was written by Fran Sales, SearchCIO’s associate editor.

This week, media outlets (and all my friends and coworkers) have been abuzz with news and speculation about the so-called Heartbleed bug, an OpenSSL security flaw that has existed in as many as two-thirds of (the loooong list of) websites we use and in our consumer devices — from cable boxes and Internet routers to IT equipment and networking hardware — for almost two years.

To add insult to injury, security experts’ advice varies depending on whether you’re a consumer or an IT leader. If you’re in the latter party, they say, assume that your company’s systems have been infected, and put Internet-facing systems at the top of your priority list. But don’t throw yourself into a tizzy just yet: Check out our coverage in this week’s Searchlight and see what resources you can provide your consumers — and check out yourselves — to still your hearts over Heartbleed.

Also this week: It ain’t easy for CIOs at technology firms; is everyone really all that GaGa for Twitter’s new Facebook-esque profile pages?; a bid for one Swiss team’s solar plane to fly around the world — without fuel; and more.

Head over to SearchCIO’s Searchlight column!