Several of the world's biggest technology companies are donating millions of dollars to fund security improvements in open source programs like OpenSSL, after the software's "Heartbleed" glitch sent the computer industry into a panic.

The non-profit Linux Foundation announced the plan on Thursday. The technology group funding the improvements include Amazon, Cisco Systems, Facebook, Google, IBM, and seven other companies.

The companies in this Core Infrastructure Initiative group each will donate $300,000 to the venture.

The Heartbleed bug is in a vulnerable version OpenSSL that potentially exposes millions of passwords, credit card numbers and other sensitive bits of information to theft. It was discovered earlier this month.

Days after its discovery, the director of Homeland Security's National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center, Larry Zelvin, said there was not any reported attacks from the bug. But he said it is still possible that malicious actors could exploit unpatched systems. [Read More]

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Source: VOA News: Economy and Finance