Weekly Weather April 14, 2014

 

Weekly Weather April 14, 2014 

The eclipses are here!  The eclipses are here!

Hang on tight and don’t forget to duck if you see something coming at your HEAD!

 


 

The eclipses are here! The eclipses are here! 

forging_2009_by_irishmage-d3fo0ud

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our week begins with a Lunar Eclipse forming a Blood Red Orb over our heads in the United States.  The eclipse is a Full Moon, finishing up the story begun in October 2012 on the New Moon which had a test in July 2013 on the opening quarter moon.  Then, LAST October 2013, there was ANOTHER pulse to this energy.  Think of it as a “reversed” eclipse with the Sun at 25 Libra and the Moon at 25 Aries ~ asking us to integrate the intellectual work we’ve been doing since Fall 2013 and 2012 into a new vision for our lives.

Air signs create the ideas.  Then we use Fire signs to envision, light up and passionately see the idea into first an emotional desire and then into creating it in a physical form.  Our Full Moon Eclipse will help us see a NEW vision of OUR life, particularly in the “I AM” house of Aries found some place in our natal chart.  We’ll each be grounding our own new vision, the fire, the passion, the flame of desire into a physical form.  The Sabian images for the Full Moon say:  We’ll be an Eagle and a Large White Dove turning constantly into each other… because we are each possessed of more gifts than we can hold.  A truly profound couple of weeks await us.

Approach the emotional eclipse energy with an enormous amount of gratitude in your heart. That gratitude will help you harness the energy into a form you can physically work with and create from.  Take time during this busy week to be quietly with yourself and ponder your life.  Where are you?  What is your next step?  Where is the road you are on taking you?  What are the choices in the crossroad standing before you? Where ARE you going? What is left for you to do to ignite the passion in your heart and fan those passionate heart fires into a roaring bonfire to guide and light up your life?  Hot fire forges steel into various shapes.  Forging Our Being is the analogy for the next two weeks ahead.

From the internet:  Forging is one of the oldest known Metalwork traditions.  Forging was performed by a black smith hammer and anvil, though introducing water power to the production and working of iron in the 12th century drove the hammer and anvil into obsolescence. The smithy or forge has evolved over centuries to become a facility with engineered processes, production equipment, tooling, raw materials and products to meet the demands of modern industry.

In modern times, industrial forging is done either with presses or with hammers powered by compressed air, electricity, hydraulics or steam.

Forging can produce a piece that is stronger than an equivalent cast or machined. As the metal is shaped during the forging process, its internal grain deforms (Anne suggests REFORMED) to follow the general shape of the part. As a result, the grain is continuous throughout the part, giving rise to a piece with improved strength characteristics.

Some metals may be forged cold, but iron and steel are almost always hot forged. Hot forging prevents the work from hardening and permits performing secondary machining operations on the piece.

 

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In our week ahead, the Cardinal Cross starts to build to a CLIMAX as the inevitable forces of the Cardinal square come together to push us to an evolutionary moment.  We are each being forged, shaped, strengthened and having our internal grain formed to follow the shape of our life and chart with improved strength characteristics.  Oh yes!  This Cardinal Cross Climax is going to rock our world.

 

 

 

 

 

I received this note from Melissa:  “Hope you are doing ok with the eclipse energy.  Music is helping me, and for some reason, I’ve been glued to this song for the past week.  “Stop This Train” by John Mayer. There are other versions of this song, but this live one is the best I think.  It seems very circle of life somehow, and with all the heaviness of late, there is something lulling about this song, a surrendering I guess, that the train doesn’t stop, it keeps going and going and going, and maybe there can be a peace in that.  Anyway, it keeps coming to me to send your way, so am doing so.”

I listened to it and thought all my readers would like it too!  Enjoy.  No stopping the train…you are never going to stop the train…

Stop This Train ~ John Mayer

No I’m not color blind
I know the world is black and white
Try to keep an open mind but…
I just can’t sleep on this tonight
Stop this train I want to get off and go home again
I can’t take the speed it’s moving in
I know I can’t
But honestly won’t someone stop this train

Don’t know how else to say it, don’t want to see my parents go
One generation’s length away
From fighting life out on my own
Oh, come on stop this train
I want to get off and go home again
I can’t take the speed it’s moving in
I know I can’t but honestly won’t someone stop this train

So scared of getting older
I’m only good at being young
So I play the numbers game to find a way to say my life has just begun
Had a talk with my old man
Said help me understand
He said turn 68, you’ll renegotiate
Don’t stop this train
Don’t for a minute change the place you’re in
Don’t think I couldn’t ever understand
I tried my hand
John, honestly we’ll never stop this train

Once in a while when it’s good
It’ll feel like it should
And they’re all still around
And you’re still safe and sound
And you don’t miss a thing
so you cry when you’re driving away in the dark.

Singing stop this train I want to get off and go home again
I can’t take this speed it’s moving in
I know I can’t
Cause now I see I’m never gonna stop this train
never gonna stop this train
never gonna stop this train
never gonna stop this train…

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The Week’s Planetary Highlights 

Sun in Aries is fast moving and passionate!  Sun aspects Neptune so dreams fly high in our heads. On Friday, Sun aspects the Nodes of Fate ~ Sun dives into the South Node, and releases an enormous amount of energy. Make sure to check in with the folks you know who are having a tough time on earth right now. Friday will be a big departure day here on earth.  On Saturday, the Sun enters Taurus for 30 days of springtime (or early fall for our Southern Hemisphere).

Mercury in Aries is assertive, sharp, piercing and direct. He doesn’t suffer fools well. Mercury shouts.  Mercury says mean things. On Monday and Tuesday, Mercury rolls through the Cardinal Cross and receives all kinds of difficult information.  Ouch.   But we need to hear it, learn it, or find it out.  Allow the information to roll through your brain.  Allow the new ideas to touch your soul. They will guide you toward what you have to do next.  You are never going to stop this train but at least you can have an informed ride!  There is a lot of discordant energy. At the end of the week, Mercury and Eris get together so difficult news will inspire you.  Start to take action in a new way.

Venus in Pisces, soft, psychic, melancholy, emotional and dreamy, works with Jupiter and Pluto on Thursday and Friday to be productive and creative in a new way. Watch for love. Watch for changes in relationships.  Early in the week, she sees patterns she had not seen before.  Watch for profound connections ~ made or lost ~ as Venus hangs out with the Nodes of Fate.  On Sunday, Venus joins Chiron offering a healing energy to your soul wound.

Mars is moving backwards until May 20, 2014.  Mars contraparallels Juno ending partnerships on Monday.  People just need to leave and leave NOW!  There will be lots of breaks up and deaths this week as the eclipse energy combines with the pulse of the Cardinal Cross. Check in with your loved ones and friends who are having a tough time or are challenged health wise.  Remember Mars is retrograde so LET HIM or HER GO if they need to go.  Men, Scorpio and Aries planets and houses are in retreat, moving away.  Once Mars starts to move forward again, after May 20, there will be an opportunity for reunion.

Jupiter squares Uranus and opposes Pluto on Sunday, April 20, 2014 at 13 degrees of the Cardinal Cross.  I was in Ann Arbor at an Astrology Conference last weekend where folks kept using the phrase “Cardinal Cross Climax”… which sounds much more pleasant than it feels. Allow for the Climax energy to flow through your being. Let go and go with the energetic flow. Feel it deeply.

Uranus parallels Juno on Monday April 14 bringing in new partnerships or relationships that support us. Watch for them.

Pluto stations and goes retrograde on Monday April 14, 2014 at 13 Capricorn 34 until late September.  We feel Pluto’s energy and the tension of his station through Friday.  Pluto’s station triggers geocosmic events like earthquakes, volcanoes and tsunamis. Pluto stations are implicated at the beginning of wars as well as dramatic moments in your life~ watch the situations in the global hotspots start to boil! Watch the hotspots in YOUR life start to bubble up. Turn the heat down a bit and set it at a simmer.

Pallas, Vesta, Juno and Ceres play together this week ~ but in opposition or arguments with each other. The feminine is DEFINITELY aggravated.  Not a lot of “kind” energy in the sky so focus on personal self-care, being kind to yourself and connecting, gently, to your loved ones.

 

Void Moons in the Week Ahead: When the Moon is Void, it is wise to avoid making important decisions as they tend to be unrealistic, and subject to false starts, errors or unexpected hassles.  Avoid being concerned with things beyond your spiritual center.  It is time for subjective, spiritual and non-materialistic concerns. Kick back, let life flow and center yourself. Connect into your essential oneness with the Universal Forces.

Full Moon Lunar Eclipse on April 15 2014 03:42:16 am EDT 25°Li15′.  Moon goes void Opposed to Sun on Tuesday, April 15, 2014 at 03:43:25 am EDT.  Moon enters Scorpio on Tuesday, April 15, 2014 at 12:21:06 pm EDT. Moon is void in the morning Tuesday.

Moon goes void joined to Saturn on Thursday, April 17, 2014 at 03:10:27 am EDT. Moon enters Sagittarius on Thursday April 17, 2014 at 05:44:50 pm EDT.  Moon is void all day Thursday.

Moon goes void trine to Sun on Saturday, April 19, 2014 at 09:17:56 pm EDT.  Moon enters Capricorn on Saturday, April 19, 2014 at 09:28:57 pm EDT.

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Eclipse season runs until May 14, 2014.  The Full Moon Eclipse was Monday night at 25 Libra/Aries.  It finishes up the story from the last eclipse season (October 4 to November 17, 2013) and the previous fall, October 18, 2012.  It harkens back to April of 1995 and 1976 for similar events.  It starts a new story Taurus/Scorpio houses at the end of the month.

Eclipses make us feel we HAVE TO DO something! Often the thing we HAVE TO DO something about is a long standing issue or situation which seems to reach critical mass.

This week our Cardinal T-square soon to be a Cardinal Grand Cross tightens, tightens and tightens, perfecting mid-month between the April 16 and 24.  In Ann Arbor’s GLAC Astrology Conference last weekend, they kept referring to it as the “Cardinal Cross Climax”  so I’ll go with that description.  I really need to get out and about to astrology conferences more!  Think of it as a giant cosmic orgasm this week and next!!  You know that building and building energy where you are right on the edge?  So ride the baby! It will be a whopper! It’s a Cardinal Cross Climax!  Woohee!

If you have planets in your chart, in the 12 to 14 degree area, they are receiving the T-square energy and soon to be Cardinal Cross Climax energy.  It will feel like the energy keeps building and building until your climax.  Isn’t the column more exciting this week?  If you don’t have planets at those degrees, the HOUSES which contain 12 to 14 of Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn will be receiving the energy and climaxing.  You only have to look around the world to see how rocking and rolling the cardinal energy is.   Climaxes everywhere you look!

The Sabian image for the Libra Moon is An Eagle And A Large White Dove Turning Constantly Into Each Other

Lynda Hill’s interpretation of the image is below:

Commentary: The image of the ‘An Eagle and a Large White Dove’ are represented in many facets of our lives. Their symbols can be found in several religions, most notably Christianity and in heraldry and hermeticsm. They represent opposite sides of the same spectrum. The ‘Eagle’ is symbolic of strength, stamina and skyward flight. It is a bird of prey and can be seen as aggressive and domineering. It is also considered to be the king of the birds. The Dove is a symbol of peace, tenderness, innocence and gentleness. When they are ‘Turning Constantly Into Each Other’ they are able to embody a strong sense of grounding in one’s own power at the same time as being aware of and awake to love and the wonderful messages that come from the emotional and spiritual realms, through personal expression.

Oracle: In the situation facing you, there is most likely a need to mix, and integrate, the principle of the will with the principle of the emotions. This symbolizes having the will and the strength to love and to do so with energetic conviction. It is the ideal of being strong, but not aggressive; firm without being overly assertive, and confident without being oppressive that creates a sense of peace. Equally it is a sense of peace and love that can energize your convictions into action. However, there may be some confusion around whether to use force or love in this situation. This Symbol may also indicate that somebody’s behavior is unpredictable and sometimes off-putting. Someone may be rather schizoid and flounder around from one response to another, leading others to wonder what sort of response they are likely to receive at any given time. This could be a result of a chemical imbalance, the use of drugs or alcohol, or merely their personality. Using moderation and the alternation of these responses will probably lead to a solution-be firm and yet kind.

Keywords: Tempering one’s will with love and bolstering up one’s emotional responses with strength. Cooperation of mind, will, spirit and heart. Schizophrenia. Eagles and doves. Being strong and soft at the same time. Adopting the attitudes of spirit, power and love.

The Caution: Being “all over the place” with reactions. Being changeable. Not acting for the purpose of a definite outcome. Confusing others with conflicting behavior. Not knowing what to expect next.

 For hatred does not cease by hatred at any time: hatred ceases by love-this is an old rule. The Dhammapada

Censure pardons the ravens but rebukes the doves. Latin Proverb

We must combine the toughness of the serpent with the softness of the dove, a tough mind and a tender heart. Martin Luther King, Jr.

We are going to have peace even if we have to fight for it. Dwight D. Eisenhower

“Oh, wise one!” said the eagle, while he sank, In deeper and ever deep’ning thought-”Oh Wisdom! like a dove thou speakest!” The Eagle and the Dove. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Well, there’s a rose in a fisted glove, And the eagle flies with the dove, And if you can’t be with the one you love, honey, Love the one you’re with. Stephen Stills

 

The Sabian image for the Aries Sun is A Man Possessed Of More Gifts Than He Can Hold

Lynda Hill’s interpretation to the image is below:

Commentary: ‘A Man Possessed of More Gifts Than He Can Hold’ is an image of a wonderful abundance of gifts, talents or possessions. The words ‘More Than He Can Hold’ imply that it’s rather difficult to keep or contain all of these great things at once. Perhaps some of the things need to be let go of. In this Symbol ‘Gifts’ can refer to talents, possessions, people, possibilities, status, etc.

Oracle: As this Symbol talks about ‘More Gifts Than He Can Hold’, it suggests that we sometimes need to realize that sometimes we can’t have and hold everything to ourselves. We may need to let go to make space for new things in our lives. There are, however, a lot of good things that can be ‘Held’. This Symbol implies being prepared to give up, or put aside something or someone in order to pursue something else or to have a desired outcome. Having many great ideas and ambitions is wonderful, but it can keep us from really doing anything – life can become unfocused or distracted by too many possibilities. Feeling weighed down by and keeping tabs on your possessions can be tiring. The best way to get things done is to do them one at a time. Recognize that you are surrounded by abundance, but you may be unable to experience it all at once. The aim is to appreciate those things you can do or achieve now and not feel bad about the things you have let go of. If you feel you don’t have the ability to cope, then look into your “storehouse”, you will be surprised at what talents you have probably never used. This Symbol is about gifts of all kinds. Just remember that you can’t do and have everything at once.

Keywords: Potentials and the obsessions they can bring. Obsessions about “having things” or achieving goals. Counting one’s blessings. Jack-of-all-trades. Having to drop the bundle as one more thing is added. Being talented and blessed. Enormous responsibilities. Wanting to contain all possibilities. Storage. So many things to do – so little time.

The Caution: Not being able to focus on one issue at a time, or on ideas of real worth and therefore not really achieving anything. Inability to gain or contain everything that is desired. Ambition that knows no bounds. Greediness and insatiability. Being told that you can’t have what you want. Things piling up.

A full cup must be carried steadily. Old saying

Everyone has inside himself a piece of good news! The good news is that you really don’t know how great you can be, how much you can love, what you can accomplish, and what your potential is! Anne Frank

A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds. Francis Bacon

You must learn day by day, year by year, to broaden your horizon. The more things you love, the more you are interested in, the more you enjoy, the more you are indignant about, the more you have left when anything happens. Ethel Barrymore

And the wild regrets and the bloody sweats None knew so well as I: For he who lives more lives than one, more deaths than one must die. Oscar Wilde

He was one of those men who possess almost every gift, except the gift of the power to use them. Charles Kingsley

Wednesday Mercury’s day April 16, 2014 Moon is in Scorpio and goes void joined to Saturn making today a great day to end or release things.  This morning Mercury’s opposition to Mars starts things off with a separation that needs to take place as you’ve been thinking about it for a while.  Dreams last night prepared you for the changes ahead.  Mercury’s union with Uranus by declination invites you to take a new approach to the situations before you.  Things wound or need adjusting physically mid-day as Mars and Chiron connect in a deep, dark space.  Allow the energy to swirl around you.  You are being forged into a new, stronger version of you.  Connect with new partners or ideas in the afternoon. Moon in Scorpio has productive aspects with Jupiter and Pluto today inviting you to go deeper on your interior journey.  The moment for psychological healing is here.  Tonight is a great night to clear out things that bother you around your home or office or computer or heart. Careful with candles.  Health matters percolate to a boil on eclipses so take care of your health. Go to bed early if you can.

 

Jupiter’s Day Thursday April 17, 2014 Moon in Scorpio goes void joined to Saturn at 03:10:27 am EDT and enters Sagittarius at 05:44:50 pm EDT.  Moon is void all day Thursday. Void moons during eclipses give us an opportunity to heal, process and take time out from the crazy.  Health matters need to be addressed promptly.  Partnerships and nurturing are arguing today. Partner is not in the mood to be nurturing or YOU are not in the moon to nurture partner. Tough love?  Take time out for yourself today.  Replenish!  Tonight Venus and Jupiter connect in abundance and expansion.  Permit yourself indulgence!  Connect with folks who love and are supportive of you tonight.  Expand and bask in the love and kindness.

 

Friday Venus’ Day April 18, 2014 Moon is in Sagittarius and goes void trine to Sun.  Good Friday dawns bright and early with expansive energies that end on a good note.  Moon is in Fire Sagittarius taking a fresh and visionary approach to the situations in your life.  You see other options and are able to approach ideas with an inspired energy.  Venus aspects the Nodes of Destiny and encourages you to refocus on your vision for yourself in the early morning hours ~ dreams are particularly connected and confounding simultaneously.  Triangle energy appears this morning as Venus and Pluto connect and seek to grow a new project or idea.  Say yes to offers today.  The wonderful closing aspects today and Saturday encourage us to try new things that actually work out. Watch for romantic partners, new ideas, new ways of making money or expansion around and about how to move forward.  This is an inspiring day. Say yes to all offers (figure out how to do them LATER).  Sun’s aspects to the South Node encourage you to harness an old set of skills which will make a huge difference.  We have to feed our South Node to get to our destiny described by the North Node…. We use the nodes as a stepping stone to move up and out.  Today is such a day.  Go backwards to go forwards.  Sun dives into the South Node so it is also a profound releasing and departure day on Planet Earth… life force energy wants to go back to the source from which it came.  Mercury’s contraparallel to Venus suggests you keep your mouth closed rather than arguing the point, yet again.  No use in arguing. Just smile, nod and don’t say “I agree with you.”  A smile and a nod CAN BE a NO!  I learned that lesson the hard way…. So smile and nod even if you are thinking, “Nope, not going to do that.  Not going to do that AT ALL!”  Pleasant face and subtle movement away….

 

Saturn’s Day Saturday April 19, 2014 Moon goes void in Sagittarius trine to Sun at 09:17:56 pm EDT and enters Capricorn at 09:28:57 pm EDT.  Dreams last night were full of action and adventure. Try to remember them upon awakening especially if they involved the ocean or fighting. Today is a fun, frolicking and happy filled day.  Moon has very pleasant aspects to Mercury and Sun encouraging expansion, laughter and happiness.  Mid-morning communications can be a bit screwed up.  Mercury’s union with Eris mid-afternoon means words can be a bit harsh or envious.  Use the words to inspire your next action or to move forward. Sun enters Taurus tonight for 30 days of Spring time in the Northern Hemisphere and Fall in the Southern Hemisphere.

 

Sun’s Day Sunday April 20, 2014 Moon in Capricorn goes void square to Mercury so words can be problematic even as they inform you of what needs to take place.  Easter Sunday brings a bloom of energy and rebirth. Today, Jupiter is a busy fellow as he rolls through the Cardinal Cross bringing us a climax…. In practical Capricorn we are able to accomplish much.  Climax away in abundance as Jupiter expands and accelerates the energy of the Cross.  Action, Action and more action.  Jupiter’s square to Uranus in the middle of the night brings rollicking dreams. Changes around your body or health matters are very supported and accelerated.  Make sure to check in with what nurtures and supports you even if you want to revise your relationship to it. Honor the past relationship.  Notice the creativity and abundance. Mercury’s trine to Cupido invites us to find new groups or communities that support and sustain us.  Venus’ union with Chiron offers an opportunity to heal very old wounds and allow them to settle down.  Time heals or softens all wounds.  Jupiter opposite Pluto reminds us that everything ends and is reborn.  As I was writing this last paragraph, Stevie Nicks arrived in my Pandora… so Take your love and take it down. Climb a mountain and turn around. Let’s let Stevie take us out to the Cardinal Cross Climax next week.  If you see my reflection in a snow covered hill….

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ov1SOhwfbys

Landslide ~ Stevie Nicks

I took my love, I took it down
Climbed a mountain and I turned around
And I saw my reflection in the snow covered hills
Till the landslide brought me down

Oh, mirror in the sky, what is love?
Can the child within my heart rise above?
Can I sail through the changing ocean tides?
Can I handle the seasons of my life?
Mmm, mmm, mmm

Well, I’ve been afraid of changing
‘Cause I’ve built my life around you
But time makes you bolder
Even children get older and I’m getting older too

Well, I’ve been afraid of changing
‘Cause I’ve built my life around you
But time makes you bolder
Even children get older and I’m getting older too
Oh, I’m getting older too

Awh, take my love, take it down
Awh, climb a mountain and turn around
And if you see my reflection in the snow covered hills
Well, the landslide bring it down

And if you see my reflection in the snow covered hills
Well, the landslide bring it down
Oh, the landslide bring it down

 

Anne’s Four Radio Shows and Two Recommended Shows Recap:  Listen in to the podcasts via ITunes or by the website links.

Anne’s Weekly Weather:  The eclipses are here!  The eclipses are here!  The Pluto station!  Jupiter setting off Uranus and Pluto.    The T-Square perfects!  Action! Emotions! Transformation! Relationship dynamics! And of course, CHANGE!

Scorpios Talking:  Michael and Anne moved to Friday as Anne was out of town and went delving into the energy of the eclipse.

The Mary Anne Show: Mary and Anne talked about the eclipse and increasing your self-care.

Access Astrology: Heather was sick so Mark and Anne discussed the weather and took calls from listeners.

Venus Unplugged: Llorraine Neithardt with Venus lessons for all!! For Jungians, dreamers, poets and visionaries this podcast helps with your individuation.

CG Jung Speaks! There are great readings from Jung! Tune in!  Kendrick Norris, Ph.D. reads excerpts from Jung.  Working on individuating? Listen in!

Mundane:  Ed writes: Is it possible that the ‘flu season’ you referred to last year could be a computer virus?  Bleeding Heart on the same day that Microsoft stops security updates for one in five computers in the US (and half of all computers in China)?

That would be a YES Ed!  And the rest of you too.  Ebola is moving slowly in Ghana, but has reached the capital.  There are some cases of SARS here in NY at St. Vincent’s Infectious Disease Unit.  However, no wide spread virus ~ except Heart Bleed ~ seems to be around.  So take the time to change your passwords on affected accounts.  When in doubt, change the password…

 

The Heartbleed Hit List: The Passwords You Need to Change Right Now

An encryption flaw called the Heartbleed bug is already being called one of the biggest security threats the Internet has ever seen. The bug has affected many popular websites and services — ones you might use every day, like Gmail and Facebook — and could have quietly exposed your sensitive account information (such as passwords and credit card numbers) over the past two years.

But it hasn’t always been clear which sites have been affected. Mashable reached out some of the most popular social, email, banking and commerce sites on the web. We’ve rounded up their responses below.

Some Internet companies that were vulnerable to the bug have already updated their servers with a security patch to fix the issue. This means you’ll need to go in and change your passwords immediately for these sites. Even that is no guarantee that your information wasn’t already compromised. There’s also no indication that hackers knew about the exploit before this week. The companies that are advising customers to change their passwords are doing so as a precautionary measure.

Although changing your password regularly is always good practice, if a site or service hasn’t yet patched the problem, your information will still be vulnerable.

Also, if you reused the same password on multiple sites, and one of those sites was vulnerable, you’ll need to change the password everywhere. It’s not a good idea to use the same password across multiple sites, anyway.

We’ll keep updating the list as new information comes in. Last update: April 10, 8:25 p.m. ET

Social Networks

Was it affected?

Is there a patch?

Do you need to change your password?

What did they say?

Facebook Unclear Yes Yes Yes “We added protections for Facebook’s implementation of OpenSSL before this issue was publicly disclosed. We haven’t detected any signs of suspicious account activity, but we encourage people to … set up a unique password.”
Instagram Yes Yes Yes Yes “Our security teams worked quickly on a fix and we have no evidence of any accounts being harmed. But because this event impacted many services across the web, we recommend you update your password on Instagram and other sites, particularly if you use the same password on multiple sites.”
LinkedIn No No No “We didn’t use the offending implementation of OpenSSL in www.linkedin.com or www.slideshare.net. As a result, HeartBleed does not present a risk to these web properties.”
Pinterest Yes Yes Yes Yes “We fixed the issue on Pinterest.com, and didn’t find any evidence of mischief. To be extra careful, we e-mailed Pinners who may have been impacted, and encouraged them to change their passwords.”
Tumblr Yes Yes Yes Yes “We have no evidence of any breach and, like most networks, our team took immediate action to fix the issue.”
Twitter No Yes Unclear Twitter wrote that OpenSSL “is widely used across the internet and at Twitter. We were able to determine that [our] servers were not affected by this vulnerability. We are continuing to monitor the situation.” While reiterating that they were unaffected, Twitter told Mashable that they did apply a patch.

Other Companies

Was it affected?

Is there a patch?

Do you need to change your password?

What did they say?

Apple No No No “iOS and OS X never incorporated the vulnerable software and key web-based services were not affected.”
Amazon No No No Amazon.com is not affected.”
Google Yes Yes Yes Yes* “We have assessed the SSL vulnerability and applied patches to key Google services.” Search, Gmail, YouTube, Wallet, Play, Apps and App Engine were affected; Google Chrome and Chrome OS were not.*Google said users do not need to change their passwords, but because of the previous vulnerability, better safe than sorry.
Microsoft No No No Microsoft services were not running OpenSSL, according to LastPass.
Yahoo Yes Yes Yes Yes “As soon as we became aware of the issue, we began working to fix it… and we are working to implement the fix across the rest of our sites right now.” Yahoo Homepage, Yahoo Search, Yahoo Mail, Yahoo Finance, Yahoo Sports, Yahoo Food, Yahoo Tech, Flickr and Tumblr were patched. More patches to come, Yahoo says.

Email

Was it affected?

Is there a patch?

Do you need to change your password?

What did they say?

AOL No No No AOL told Mashable it was not running the vulnerable version of the software.
Gmail Yes Yes Yes Yes* “We have assessed the SSL vulnerability and applied patches to key Google services.”*Google said users do not need to change their passwords, but because of the previous vulnerability, better safe than sorry.
Hotmail / Outlook No No No Microsoft services were not running OpenSSL, according to LastPass.
Yahoo Mail Yes Yes Yes Yes “As soon as we became aware of the issue, we began working to fix it… and we are working to implement the fix across the rest of our sites right now.”

Stores and Commerce

Was it affected?

Is there a patch?

Do you need to change your password?

What did they say?

Amazon No No No Amazon.com is not affected.”
Amazon Web Services (for website operators) Yes Yes Yes Yes Most services were unaffected or Amazon was already able to apply mitigations (see advisory note here). Elastic Load Balancing, Amazon EC2, Amazon Linux AMI, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Ubuntu, AWS OpsWorks, AWS Elastic Beanstalk and Amazon CloudFront were patched.
eBay No No No eBay.com was never vulnerable to this bug because we were never running a vulnerable version of OpenSSL.”
Etsy Yes* Yes Yes Yes Etsy said that only a small part of its infrastructure was vulnerable, and they have patched it.
GoDaddy Yes Yes Yes Yes “We’ve been updating GoDaddy services that use the affected OpenSSL version.” Full Statement
Groupon No No No Groupon.com does not utilize a version of the OpenSSL library that is susceptible to the Heartbleed bug.”
Nordstrom No No No “Nordstrom websites do not use OpenSSL encryption.”
PayPal No No No “Your PayPal account details were not exposed in the past and remain secure.” Full Statement
Target No No No “[We] launched a comprehensive review of all external facing aspects of Target.com… and do not currently believe that any external-facing aspects of our sites are impacted by the OpenSSL vulnerability.”
Walmart No No No “We do not use that technology so we have not been impacted by this particular breach.”

Banks and Brokerages

All the banks we contacted (see below) said they were unaffected by Heartbleed, but U.S. regulators have warned banks to patch their systems.

Was it affected?

Is there a patch?

Do you need to change your password?

What did they say?

Bank of America No No No “A majority of our platforms do NOT use OpenSSL, and the ones that do, we have confirmed no vulnerabilities.”
Capital One No No No “Capital One uses a version of encryption that is not vulnerable to Heartbleed.”
Chase No No No “These sites don’t use the encryption software that is vulnerable to the Heartbleed bug.”
Citigroup No No No Citigroup does not use Open SSL in “customer-facing retail banking and credit card sites and mobile apps”
E*Trade No No No E*Trade is still investigating.
Fidelity No No No “We have multiple layers of security in place to protect our customer sites and services.”
PNC No No No “We have tested our online and mobile banking systems and confirmed that they are not vulnerable to the Heartbleed bug.”
Schwab No No No “Efforts to date have not detected this vulnerability on Schwab.com or any of our online channels.”
Scottrade No No No “Scottrade does not use the affected version of OpenSSL on any of our client-facing platforms.”
TD Ameritrade No No No TD Ameritrade “doesn’t use the versions of openSSL that were vulnerable.”
TD Bank No No No “We’re currently taking precautions and steps to protect customer data from this threat and have no reason to believe any customer data has been compromised in the past.”
U.S. Bank No No No “We do not use OpenSSL for customer-facing, Internet banking channels, so U.S. Bank customer data is NOT at risk.”
Wells Fargo No No No No reason provided.

Government and Taxes

Was it affected?

Is there a patch?

Do you need to change your password?

What did they say?

1040.com No No No “We’re not vulnerable to the Heartbleed bug, as we do not use OpenSSL.”
FileYour Taxes.com No No No “We continuously patch our servers to keep them updated. However, the version we use was not affected by the issue, so no action was taken.”
H&R Block Unclear No Unclear “We are reviewing our systems and currently have found no risk to client data from this issue.”
Healthcare .gov No No No Healthcare.gov consumer accounts are not affected by this vulnerability.”
Intuit (TurboTax) Yes Yes Yes Yes Turbotax “has examined its systems and has secured TurboTax to protect against the “Heartbleed” bug.” Full Statement
IRS Unclear Unclear Unclear “The IRS continues to accept tax returns as normal … and systems continue operating and are not affected by this bug. We are not aware of any security vulnerabilities related to this situation.”
TaxACT No No No “Customers can update their passwords at any time, although we are not proactively advising them to do so at this time.”
USAA Yes Yes Yes Yes USAA said that it has “already taken measures to help prevent a data breach and implemented a patch earlier this week.”

 

 

 

Lynda Hill’s work appears with her permission.  Check her out at www.sabiansymbols.com.

 

Copyright© 2014 A.C. Ortelee