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*Firewall generally not included in the free versions of these downloads. Each provider has their own paid alternative with provides the complete internet security solution.

Take a look at the video below for more information. If you have any questions relating to hard drive data destruction please call us on 01-8424114.

The statement reads:

“Microsoft is investigating new public reports of attacks against a new vulnerability in Internet Explorer. Our initial investigation has shown these limited attacks are targeting customers using Internet Explorer 7, however the vulnerability affects all currently supported versions of Internet Explorer.

“We are actively investigating this vulnerability and upon completion of this investigation, Microsoft will take the appropriate action to protect our customers, which may include providing a solution through our monthly security update release process, or an out-of-cycle security update, depending on customer needs.

“Microsoft continues to encourage customers to follow the “Protect Your Computer” guidance of enabling a firewall, applying all software updates and installing anti-virus and anti-spyware software. Additional information can be found at Security at home.

1. Good practice is to always keep your anti-virus software up to date
2. Run IE 7 in protected mode (this is a by default in Vista but not in XP)
3. Set your internet zone security on high
4. Set Windows Update to default.”

Alternatively, you might consider alternative browsers until the update is available for download….

Firefox – Download Here
Safari – Download Here
Chrome – Download Here
Opera – Download Here

The fact is, that the majority of users out there know that their mail server is working fine, when they can check their junk mail folder to find that they received a spam mail in the last 10 minutes. Believe it or not, it can be useful!

So I called the data centre and stated “I’m not complaining, but did you do anything to our Server?”, They responded with an honest “No” and unless a Spotty, 17 year-old King-of-Spam was suddenly arrested somewhere in Arkansas, there doesn’t seem to be any explanation as to why this has occurred.

I’m not asking Google or browsing the web to see if anything has happened ‘out there’ as It may only backup my hunch that this is only a short-term vacation from spam.

And I am certainly not phoning the Hosting Company again only to find out that they had mistakenly given free anti-spam protection and will turn it off straight away!

In this situation, perhaps ignorance is spam bliss..

Considering that we are all so time-poor these days, the ability to shop online can make certain aspects of life so much easier. Whether it’s ordering the Pepperoni Passion from Dominos, picking up the latest album release from CDWOW or buying your sisters birthday present in the shape of a book from Amazon, this way of shopping is only going to become more common and much more integrated. With Internet TV, you will be buying direct from the advert that is being broadcast in front of you. Phones too will play a huge role in future online shopping as technology continues to converge. Buying concert tickets in the form of a text message sent to your mobile phone from Ticketmaster and other such organisations seems strange but it makes perfect sense. This solution which I’m sure will have it’s own teething process is a win-win as far as I am concerned. It’s birth and concept is based on beating the ticket touts but the fact that it is so environmentally friendly will probably please any doubters of its necessity.

So what are the advantages and disadvantages of shopping online?

Advantages

• Going out to Dundrum for the day can be a nightmare and often you may buy for the sake of buying and just regret it later! When the feet get tired so does the brain. Shopping online for the most part, is non-stressful.
• Convenient, especially for senior citizens or disabled people.
• Its 24 hours.
• Price comparison; try browsing 20 shops at Dundrum in 30 minutes. A friend of mine built a new house, browsed all the major retail shops in Ireland for his furniture and bought most of it f online.
• Seller does not have the overheads of a shop; wages, insurance, stock, etc and their price usually reflects this fact.
• Companies such as Amazon.com offer free shipping if you order over a certain amount.
• The Internet is especially helpful when you are looking for an item that is hard to find. This is why I love Ebay! (Ebay is also the place to find bargains).
• If you are like me when it comes to Christmas shopping and tend to run around shopping centres at the last minute only to end up with vouchers, then the internet is also a great way to become efficient at these types of things

Disadvantages

• For most people the biggest disappointment of online shopping is that you don’t receive the product there and then. For some, using the computer is not exactly retail therapy.
• The shipping costs. Very often the part you ordered can be less than the shipping costs or the these costs can outweigh the savings.
• Relying on photograph and description. Unless you know exactly what you are looking for a small, often pixelated photograph and description don’t exactly inspire you to hand over the cash.
• Returning faulty goods – you will have to repack it and pay to ship it back to the seller. It can literally take weeks to exchange a faulty product purchased online. My brother recently bought Season 2 of Lost over the internet. His excitement when it arrived at his door was quickly dashed when he learned that his DVD player would not play DVD’s with American Region codes.

Tips for Safe Online Shopping.

• Use websites you know or ones which are recommended to you.
• Get the Final price before you checkout. Make sure that taxes, shipping , insurance, etc have all been included before you commit to the purchase
• Find out what their warranty & returns policies are. Read the small print!
• Never send your credit card details in an email.
• Look out for the security encryption on the webpage. Keep an eye out for the closed padlock symbol (see pic)..

Also, in the address bar you should see https:// instead of just http://

• 6. Print off a copy of the transaction and keep a copy of any email confirmations they send you.

            ‘Luv2LafF’ for ‘Love to Laugh’ or ‘Phunnyb0n3′ for ‘Funny bone’.

• Do: Include similar looking substitutions, such as the number zero for the letter ‘O’ or $ for the letter ‘S’, 1 for ‘L’, etc.

• Don’t: Write your password down or disclose it to anyone.
• Don’t: Use a password that you have used elsewhere.
• Don’t: Include commonly known information about yourself in your password.
• Don’t: Use a password that is listed as an example of how to pick a good password.

Password Rules

A strong password contains the following characteristics:

• A combination of at least eight characters in length and contains upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and non-alphabetic characters
• At least three characters from each of the previous character types
• It should be different from other previously used passwords by more than one character

A strong password should not contain the following:

• Your user name, real name, or company name
• A complete dictionary word
• Do not leave the password blank

For best practive on password Do’s and Don’ts click here. In my experience though, after enforcing these policies, it means that your employee’s will inevitably use more IT resources than usual. In today’s world we simply have too many pin numbers, online banking credentials and passwords to remember which invariably means that we will forget them from time to time.

So this means you can leave it up to your employee’s, trusting them to initiate their own strong passwords or enforce it centrally from your network domain controller.