Heartbleed Bug: What regular users need to do

I posted this earlier might help.
http://news.sky.com/story/1240417/dont-change-passwords-over-heartbleed-bug

Dafydd.

In the wake of widespread media coverage of the Internet security debacle known as the Heartbleed bug, many readers are understandably anxious to know what they can do to protect themselves. Here's a short primer.

The Heartbleed bug concerns a security vulnerability in a component of recent versions of OpenSSL, a technology that a huge chunk of the Internet's Web sites rely upon to secure the traffic, passwords and other sensitive information transmitted to and from users and visitors.

Around the same time that this severe flaw became public knowledge, a tool was released online that allowed anyone on the Internet to force Web site servers that were running vulnerable versions of OpenSSL to dump the most recent chunk of data processed by those servers.

That chunk of data might include usernames and passwords, re-usable browser cookies, or even the site administrator's credentials. While the exploit only allows for small chunks of data to be dumped each time it is run, there is nothing to prevent attackers from replaying the attack over and over, all the while recording fresh data flowing through vulnerable servers. Indeed, I have seen firsthand data showing that some attackers have done just that; for example, compiling huge lists of credentials stolen from users logging in at various sites that remained vulnerable to this bug.

Continued : http://krebsonsecurity.com/2014/04/heartbleed-bug-what-can-you-do/

References made (Krebs and Bruce Schneier) in NYT article: Flaw Calls for Altering Passwords, Experts Say

Could anyone here help me to understand what those of us can do who are stuck using the Android 4.1.1 that Google says is vulnerable to the heartbleed security problem? I am in Canada and so far have not been able to find a way that Samsung, will allow me to update to a more secure OS. (The defective android 4.1.1 OS is on a p3113 2.7 galaxy tab, which was purchased new, less than a year ago)

If the whole device is vulnerable, does it do any good to change passwords and avoid unsecured websites? Should I avoid using this device completely, or just avoid using it for anything involving a password? Or is this only a concern when it comes to sensitive financial transactions?

As most of this devices functionality involves syncing, would using synced services like gmail that are shared with other devices put information on those other devices at risk of security problems?

I am just an average older person and not technically adept. I would really appreciate some advice.


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