The most recent DROWN attack vulnerability risks have been the talk of tech blogs and our support inbox.
If you have an HTTPS website, there is a chance you are at risk. However, if Blue Archer hosts your website, you are not vulnerable (we checked).
What Is A DROWN Attack?
DROWN is a serious vulnerability that affects HTTPS and other services that rely on SSL and TLS, some of the essential cryptographic protocols for Internet security.
DROWN
DROWN stands for Decrypting RSA with Obsolete and Weakened eNcryption. Even though it is referring to obsolete encryption, a surprising number of HTTPS sites are at risk due to faulty configurations.
Who Is At Risk?
DROWN, a new vulnerability in OpenSSL that affects servers using SSLv2, was revealed today as an attack that could decrypt your secure HTTPS communications, such as passwords or credit card numbers.
Owen Williams, The Next Web
This issue is not just impacting small businesses, but as of yesterday, many large websites were also vulnerable such as:
- Yahoo
- Alibaba
- BuzzFeed
- Weather.com
- Flickr
- Samsung
It is estimated that over 11 million of all HTTPS sites are at risk.
HTTPS
How do you know if this could impact you? To start, your website needs to be HTTPS. A website has this once they purchase an SSL for a secure connection. Typically, websites that trade sensitive information such as credit card numbers, become HTTPS.
However, it has been rumored that Google will start prioritizing HTTPS sites which may have increased the numbers.
Tester
This may strike an even larger panic since people have HTTPS for security, however, not everyone is at risk. To be at risk, your server may be enabling SSLv2, which is the main vulnerability. If you unsure, you can test your website.
How Is It Prevented?
Businesses and large sites are rushing to remedy any vulnerabilities. While it is not an easy fix, servers are encouraged to disable SSLv2 to prevent any attacks.
Blue Archer Support
Anytime sensitive information is traded over the web, security is top priority. Vulnerability scares from Heartbleed to DROWN can be business owners on edge.
If you are ever concerned, our support team will work with you to ease your and ensure a high level of security for your information.