SpringHeeledJack,
It is a real problem, but you need everything lined up for it to be workable.....
In a nutshell :
- Windows users : Nothing to worry about
- Mac users : Nothing to worry about unless you have been fiddling around and have some server software enabled that provides you with remote access to whatever that software does.
- Linux (desktop) users: You're bound to have some sort of default remote access (i.e. SSH) ... so make sure you keep your patches up to date and watch for new patches over the next couple of weeks.
- Linux (server) users: Since you're running a server, you should be patching it up regularly anyway !
In technical terms :
(a) you need to be running a vulnerable version of the BASH shell
(b) you need to have some software running on your machine that provides a means of access to (a).
Many people will have (a) ... not so many people will have (b).