Bits and Bytes -- Open SSL Bug

The disturbing news comes courtesy of Nicole Perlroth of the New York Times.  Apparently there is a significant bug in the Open SSL protocol that provides most of the https security on the network.  Here's the lede:

The tiny padlock icon that sits next to many web addresses, suggesting protection of users’ most sensitive information — like passwords, stored files, bank details, even Social Security numbers — is broken. A flaw has been discovered in one of the Internet’s key encryption methods, potentially forcing a wide swath of websites to swap out the virtual keys that generate private connections between the sites and their customers.

It's easy to overstate the significance of these types of flaws -- the vulnerability is real, but the extent to which it has been exploited is unknown and, as yet, there is no evidence of exploitation at all.   Here's a good summary of "what it means for you" from Lifehacker.  And here's another one, from LastPass (the password locker I use).  Whatever the ultimate ground-truth, this is a pretty significant cautionary note.  Me?  I'm going to change some passwords.