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Wishing all my clients and suppliers alike a happy holiday season and all the best for the new year. Thank you all for your support during 2007.

This month i thought i would take the time to talk about internet security yet again. It seems that the message is not getting through as to the threat that is out there. i am regulary asked as to why people would wish to "own" your home computer. In the past it was just a matter of disrupting your computer with a virus or worm so as to make it not boot/reboot/seem like its performance was snail pace, or some other annoying occurance. Not so any more, these days it is all about money and the making of lots of it via criminal means. Here is an article by Symantec (Norton) explaining how it works. and how your computer is uesed to conduct these activities

For more information as to the latest threats and scams visit my internet security page

On a lighter note here is an article on various computers and how they stack up in the real world , i thought it interesting that one of the fastest pc's was also amongst the least expensive, Here is the review. Remember that most of these are U.S, models but the information can help make a more informed desicion next time you are shopping for a new PC.

Oh one final thing ---- for all you long suffering telstra customers wishing for broadband on the Next-G network or just some god mobile phone coverage, here is some enlightening reading

Required reading for this month. A very interesting article about the 16 most imprtant things that happened to the Internet to help shape into the entity we know today. You may also notice when navigating around my site that additional items have been added. be sure to check out my software page for some great prices on Operating systems and antivirus applications. This section is undergoing a rapid transformation and additional products will be added soon,including bookeeping items such as M.Y.O.B. and Quicken.

I was listening to the Beatles the other night and thinking how relevant the lyrics of the song Taxman still are: "if you drive a car, I'll tax the street - if you try to sit, I'll tax your seat - if you get too cold, I'll tax the heat - if you take a walk, I'll tax your feet..............and your working for no-one but me" .Well enough about complaining 'cause its tax time again, i hope you are all over it and by now getting a nice refund cheque .

I have recently rebuilt a number of computers where client's systems had been corrupted and compromised by virus or worm attacks. BOTH HAD UP TO DATE ANTIVIRUSES BUT THEY GOT AFFECTED JUST THE SAME. Please be aware that an antivirus program is still not the best defence against viruses/worms that a good dose of skepticism can be. When you see a notice on your screen that you have been affected by viruses/malware/spyware/your privacy is at risk and porn has been detected on your computer ---- do not click on the dialog box........do not panic!........think first.......do you really think that you are at risk?........did a recent antivirus/spyware scan detect anything?........No?-----then why put your trust in some unsolicited message? If there is no close button but only the good old "OK" one, then use Alt+f4 to close it. Once clicked you have a good chance of downloading the problem not the solution. Also consider this excerpt taken from a recent Internet Security feed that can be found here on my website................

" Greeting card spam took up the slack. Criminals continued trying to get people to click on URLs leading to malicious executables, instead of the purported greeting card listed in the spam.

YouTube enticements were a late example of the evolving tactics of spammers. The popularity of YouTube, coupled with a message suggesting the linked "video" would be a salacious one, has served as the hook set by criminals to snare the unwary.

Since people are starting to get wise to suspicious names and domains in URLs, spammers have been using numeric IP addresses, hoping the dotted quad will be sufficient to elicit a click. "

So please take note of what is out there. Yes, the Internet is a wonderful place, but it also has bad guys out there trying to scam people. Follow this link to gain further information to help you be aware of internet scams and phishing exploits from malicious attackers. So please use some caution or otherwise i will be seeing you soon too, to take advantage of my services for a computer rebuild.

So you want fast broadband and cheap rates? be very careful what you wish for as this latest article in the Australian IT Newsletter shows, All too often promises are made that cannot be provided. I have had clients tell me tales of woe of ISP's signing them up with plans that were not mirrored by the bills that they then received

Just the usual rebuilds and virus removals, but I thought this article in the latest Australian IT newsletter of interest

"AUSTRALIA has the second-slowest broadband speed in the developed world, according to the latest international comparison by the OECD.

Australia lagged behind Turkey and Greece, and only just pipped the Slovak Republic.

The review shows that not only is Australia's broadband among the slowest, but its telephone services are also among the most expensive, particularly for small business.

Telstra's maximum broadband speed has increased since the OECD survey was conducted in October last year, rising from 1.5 megabits a second to up to 24 megabits a second.

However, leading nations such as France, Italy, Sweden and the US offer speeds that are between 30Mbps and 40Mbps, while Japan and Korea offer speeds of 100Mbps." read full story