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Editorial

I hope you all had an enjoyable and safe Easter as I did, not a lot to report this month. Internet security is one of the major topics of discussion at the moment and I would say for the future. When one hole is plugged, an opening is found elsewhere.

But we all seem to be able to live with these threats now, the internet is open for all, the alternative is not worth considering. Just be on your guard.

Bruce Beresford, Manager & Editor

In this Issue:

• Featured Site - Australian Golf Instructor
• Virus Watch
• Australian ISPs to step up spam fight
• Spam code threatens $10m fine
• Protection packages
• Phishers set hidden traps on eBay
• Quotes of the day

Featured Site  

Australian Golf Instructor

Australian Golf Instructor provides key tips and advice for all players, recommended by leading professional teachers the Australian Golf Instructor fits in your pocket or bag for easy reference during play. Indexed tabs and laminated spiral binding allows flip over pages. Guide to distances for each shot on the back page and covers all the major areas of the game of golf including driver, fairway woods, trouble shots, bunker play putting, how to play into the wind. Quick reminder for each shot and easy to follow diagrams on each page, a great gift.

Personalise Your Golf Clubs with Australian Golf Instructor Custom Labels and protect against loss. Our top quality golf labels use unique and advanced laminated tape technology, adhere securely and resistant to water, sunlight, chemicals, heat and cold. Set of 18 labels personalised 1, 2, 3 or 4 lines of information available. When considering what to place on your labels, remember the most important information is your name and phone number.

The most popular information our customers select is name, address, city, state & post code and phone number. The label information is centred horizontally and vertically...

Visit the Australian Golf Instructor website...

Virus Watch  

Latest Threats - from Symantec

20-04-06 Trojan.Lisentkey

20-04-06 W32.Opanki.P

Australian ISPs to step up spam fight  

A new code requiring Internet and e-mail service providers to undertake a range of spam-fighting measures will come into force in July.

The code of practice -- registered by the Australian Communications and Media Authority after being developed by the Internet Industry Association (IIA) and state industry bodies -- is designed to supplement Australia's anti-spam legislation, itself the subject of a review by the Minister for Communications and Information Technology, Senator Helen Coonan.

The code is set to apply to the 689 active ISPs in Australia from 16 July.

Chris Chapman, the chairman of the ACMA, described the document as "the first legislative code of practice for Internet and e-mail service providers in the world".

E-mail service providers include multinational heavyweights like Yahoo and Microsoft, whose free offerings are Yahoo Mail and Hotmail respectively.

Under the code, Internet Industry Spam Code Of Practice, Internet and e-mail service providers must offer spam filtering options and advice to subscribers. They also must have a complaints handling process for spam. e fraudulent. ZDNet Australia >>> more

Spam code threatens $10m fine  

INTERNET service providers could face massive fines if they do not comply with new rules set down by the communications watchdog.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) today registered the world's first legislative code of practice for internet and email service providers.

Dealing with unsolicited email or spam costs business and home internet users millions of dollars each year in wasted time and upgrading security systems.

But under the new code, ISPs will have to offer spam filtering options to subscribers and provide a system of handling complaints.

They will also have to impose reasonable limits on the rate at which subscribers can send email.

ACMA anti-spam team manager Bruce Matthews said the watchdog could seek penalties in the Federal Court of up to $10 million for a breach of an industry code.

But Mr Matthews said ACMA wanted to work co-operatively with the industry to eliminate spam.

"Normally ACMA would liaise with the company concerned about issues of non-compliance and would normally warn them before issuing a direction to comply," he said.

Individual spammers also face penalties of up to $1 million under the Spam Act, which came into force two years ago.

The new code will come into effect on July 16, after which ACMA plans to conduct compliance checks of the country's 700 ISPs. Australian IT >>> more

Protection packages  

INTERNET security is a continuing saga for all users, large or small, frequent or infrequent.

It's not just that the hackers, scammers, phishers and spammers grow ever more cunning, it's also that the use of security technology needs to be constantly monitored, updated and refined.

Using a computer without at least virus protection in the age of cyber-stealth should be unthinkable.

For maximum protection you need anti-spyware, a personal firewall, phishing fraud defence, perhaps home network protection, and because wireless connection is now de rigeur it's not a bad idea to have WiFi wireless protection, as a minimum.

But the war between us and those who seek to profit illegally from us, steal our identities and ruin the performance of our machines just because they can, is only part of the equation.

The other side is the choice, level and maintenance of our protection.

It is a minefield out there in more ways than one.

Most people are prepared to install a package they have heard of, and hope for the best.

This is probably not the best way to proceed, but for busy individuals and small businesses that can't afford the time or an IT department to closely monitor performance, it's understandable and will probably provide adequate protection.

It's not until an attack happens that the package will be put to the test. Just as you put on a seatbelt in the car and hope you never have to depend on it. Australian IT >>> more

Phishers set hidden traps on eBay  

Click on an eBay auction listing, and you could get an unwanted result: a fake eBay login page, created by scammers looking to pilfer your username and password.

With about 181 million users worldwide, eBay is arguably the world's most popular online marketplace. As such, the San Jose, California, company, with its online payment unit PayPal, is among the biggest targets for online scammers -- including phishers.

Phishing scams use forged Web sites that look like legitimate sites in an attempt to dupe Internet users into giving up sensitive data, such as usernames, passwords and credit card details. Cybercrooks typically use spam e-mail to lure people to their Web traps. But on eBay, they also take advantage of the auction listings on the site itself.

Some of the scams run on the auction Web site are almost invisible to the untrained eye. eBay lets sellers customise their auction pages using Web programming techniques and automated tools. However, attackers are abusing this freedom to build auction pages that include a rigged listing. When potential customers click on the link, it sends them to a phishing site.

eBay is aware of such abuse of its service for trickery by cybercrooks, Catherine England, an eBay spokeswoman, said on Friday.

"Our sellers really use the dynamic content aspect of our listings," she said. "The benefits overwhelmingly outweigh the red skin that we have gotten." ZDNet Australian >>> more

Quotes of the Day  

Ambition is a poor excuse for not having sense enough to be lazy. Edgar Bergen (1903 - 1978), (Charlie McCarthy)

New York now leads the world's great cities in the number of people around whom you shouldn't make a sudden move. David Letterman (1947 - )

The incompetent with nothing to do can still make a mess of it. Laurence J. Peter (1919 - 1988)

Those who speak most of progress measure it by quantity and not by quality. George Santayana (1863 - 1952)

Brought to you by The Quotations Page

Have any questions relating to the internet or your computer? Let me know and I will research an answer and use this for future entries in our newsletter. Pass on your questions via the Enquiry Form on our Web-Site or send me an email.

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