Cyber security experts are racing against time to plug a computer bug called ‘shellshock’ before hackers take control of the devices.  And that’s not it…the smart locks that open your front doors can also be tampered with!

The bug could allow criminal gangs to take control of computers, smartphones and tablets. It means credit card details, passwords and other sensitive data are at risk of being stolen, reports DailyMail.

While some experts say it could shutdown large networks, others fear it could cause a meltdown similar to that caused in 2003.

The bug is touted to be bigger than ‘Heartbleed’ and could undermine the security of millions of websites.
It is located in the command-line shell used in many Linux and Unix operating systems, leaving devices using these operating systems open to attack.

Reportedly major software firms have already produced patches to close the loophole, however, computers will be at risk until they have been individually updated with the new software.

The potential lies in the fact that the bug could allow hackers to gain access to every internet-enabled device in a person's home using something as innocuous as a smart lightbulb. Which means once it has access to an internet-connected device it can jump onto others, in theory. This includes smart locks that open front doors.

The flaw would allow a hacker to remotely take control of the commands that tell a computer what functions to carry out. They could access an individual’s computer first by hacking into a server that hosts a website.

Though the flaw has existed in computer systems for the last 25 years, it was only discovered this week. The bug poses a threat to all Apple Mac computers and those running the Linux operating system. It does not affect Microsoft Windows computers directly, but experts fear that hackers may be able to get into any computer via internet Wi-Fi routers which connect them to the web.

Then when someone accesses the infected site, the bug would give the hacker access to all their documents, credit card details and passwords.

The severity of Shellshock has been recognised by even the US government, and they have issued a warning about the bug and providing patches to fix affected servers.

Advice on how to protect your computer can be found on government website, getsafeonline.org.

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