This document provides tips on how to protect yourself from the Heartbleed security flaw. It advises users to check if sites they visit are vulnerable, change passwords once sites are confirmed not vulnerable, monitor accounts for suspicious activity, use strong and unique passwords at least 8 characters with numbers, symbols and capital letters, consider two-factor authentication, avoid phishing scams, and use a password manager for strong randomly generated passwords.

1. How to Protect Yourself
From Heartbleed
Security Flaw
Larry Magid
Co-director
ConnectSafely.org
April 11, 2014

2. Don’t panic
• It’s a serious problem but it’s not the end of the Internet as
we know it
• Flaw has been around for two years
• So far (as of 4/11/14) there are no reports of the flaw being
exploited
• Hardware could be vulnerable but not clear if consumer
routers are at risk

3. See if the sites you visit are vulnerable
• Check to see if sites you visit are now vulnerable*, using:
• Lastpass Heartbleed checker
• Filippo Valsorda's Hearbleed test
• Qualys SSL Labs
• Also check CNET’s list of top 100 sites
* The fact that a site is now vulnerable doesn’t mean it wasn’t in the past

4. Change passwords once you know
your site is not vulnerable
• After confirming that a site is not vulnerable, change the
password
• Actually you should do this regularly – at least every few
months
• Keep reading for advice on how to change your passwords

5. Monitor your accounts & watch for
phishing
• Check your accounts
• Check your email, bank, social media and other accounts to make sure
there is no irregular or suspicious activity or unauthorized purchases
• Beware of “phishing attacks”
• You might get email that appears to be from banks and other sites,
"disclosing" that the site was vulnerable and asking users to reset their
passwords. These could be phishing attacks designed to trick you into
revealing your log-on credentials to thieves. And some of these attacks are
very sophisticated, taking you to sites that look identical to a company's
real site

6. Change your passwords once you
know the site isn’t vulnerable
• Change your passwords after you know that the site isn't vulnerable
• If you change them on currently vulnerable sites you’ll have to do it again
with another unique password
Read on for password suggestions

7. Passwords should be:
• At least 8 characters long
• Contain at least one number
• Contain at least one capital letter
• Contain at least one symbol (like #, %, &)
• Not be a real word, name or anything that would be relatively easy to
guess
Go to next slide for suggestions

8. Think of a phrase you can remember
Come up with a phrase and use a character from each word. Use
capitals where appropriate
Example
“I met Susan Morris at Lincoln High School in 1991”
The password could be: ImSMaLHSi#91

9. An easy way to make each password
unique
• Add a letter or two to the password based on the name of the site
you’re logging into. For example:
• Amazon: aImSMaLHSi#91z (added an A to beginning and a z to end)
• Google: gImSMaLHSi#91
• Twitter: tImSMaLHSi#91r

10. Change your passwords if & when:
• There has been any type of security breach on the site or your system
• You have lost a device that has the password stored
• Someone else gets hold of your password
• And even if none of this happens, change your passwords every few months

11. Consider 2-factor authentication
• A growing number of sites allow you to use two-factor
authentication: Something you know & something you have.
• Typically, the site will send a code to your phone that you type in
along with your username and password. Anyone trying to access
your site without your phone is out of luck.
• Some sites (like Google) only require it if you’re on a new device.
Others require it each time.
• Downsides are it’s a little inconvenient and a hassle if you don’t have
your phone
• Upside: It’s a lot more secure (but not 100% secure)

12. Be wary of tricks to get your password
Avoid phishing: Never enter a password based on a link in an email
unless you’re absolutely sure it’s legitimate. It’s safer to type in the web
address of your bank or other company rather than clicking on a link.
Don’t give out password over phone: Be skeptical if you get a call from
a service you use or your company’s network support department
asking for a password. Tell them you’ll call them back and find out if it’s
legitimate.

13. Consider using a password manager
• Password managers store and enter passwords for you. You can
create really strong passwords (or let them generate random ones)
and all you need to remember is the password manager’s password
• Examples:
Lastpass
Roboform
Kaspersky Password Manager
DataVault Password Manager (iPhone)
mSecure Password Manger (Android)

14. Use a very strong password for:
• Email
• Many sites will send your password to your email address so it’s important
that it be very secure
• Social network sites
• Your reputation can be affected if someone posts negative and abusive
material in your name
• Banking
• Pretty much goes without saying that you want a strong lock on your bank
account
• E-commerce sites
• Don’t let anyone go on a shopping spree with your money

15. Never share your passwords
Sharing a password is not a sign of being a good friend. Even if you
really trust that person:
• A friend can become an ex-friend
• Your friend might not be as careful as you are
• Your friend might use the password on a machine that’s not all that secure
• Possible exceptions are kids sharing with parents or spouses sharing with
each other

16. For more on strong passwords:
passwords.connectsafely.org
Larry Magid
Co-director
ConnectSafely.org
larry@ConnectSafely.org