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Editorial

I have had several requests over the past few months to provide secure SSL website services. SSL is short for Secure Sockets Layer, a protocol developed by Netscape for transmitting private documents via the Internet. SSL works by using a private key to encrypt data that's transferred over the SSL connection.

Many Web sites use this protocol to obtain confidential user information, such as credit card numbers. By convention, URLs that require an SSL connection start with https//: instead of http//: and when on a secure page you will see a small lock image at the bottom right hand side of the browser window.

This is a service we now provide so please contact us if you need help with secure services for your website.

Bruce Beresford, Manager & Editor

In this Issue:

• Featured Site
• Virus Watch
• Quicken red-faced over ACCC fee fight
• 'Misleading' links dropped
• Phishing complaints double in Australia
• Tech Tips - Fixes in for critical IE, Windows flaws
• Quotes of the day

Featured Site  

Nick Bleszynski is the manager and driving force behind Black Rose Media, he was born 42 years ago in Scotland, Nick is an award-winning film-maker, media professional and best-selling author with two decades of experience working in the Australian and international markets.

Nick started his career in the UK with Central Television in 1983 and has worked as a Producer, Director and Writer on a wide variety of news, current affairs, documentary, arts and lifestyle programmes and also has numerous music video, “live” concert and TV commercial credits to his name.

Nick moved to Australia nine years ago and has continued to working in television for the likes of ABC, Channel 7, Natural History New Zealand, National Geographic and Channels 4 and 5 in the UK.

Nick was recently working on a prestigious documentary series for Discovery and writing “Never Take me Alive”, a fictional account of the life of bushranger Ben Hall, “Never Take me Alive” is a follow-up to his controversial best-selling biography “Shoot Straight, You Bastards!”, which explored the controversial trial and execution of ‘Breaker’ Morant.

Visit the Black Rose Media website...

Virus Watch  

Latest Threats - from Symantec

19-06-05 W32.Mytob.FO@mm

18-06-05 W32.Beagle.BT@mm

Quicken red-faced over ACCC fee fight  

An investigation by the competition watchdog has prompted Quicken to refund customers an AU$9 fee levied each time a customer re-registers its accounting software on a new personal computer.

In an e-mail to customers today, Quicken Australia chief executive Greg Wilkinson said refund of the fee -- first imposed from about 11 March 2003 -- would apply to customers who re-registered Quicken Personal versions 2004 and older and QuickBooks versions 2003 and older.

Wilkinson also said the company would update its product packaging to alleviate Australian Competition and Consumer Commission concerns "that the imposition of the re-registration fee was not made clear prior to the purchase of the product".

The executive conceded the imposition of the fee had prompted customers to complain to the watchdog.

Customers are required to register with the company to combat piracy as most versions of QuickBooks and Quicken Personal are licensed for single use on one computer.

Wilkinson said the offer included an AU$45 discount for customers to upgrade to the latest version of the software they were using. However, all applications must be made by 30 June.

He said the company had now implemented a "secure online system" to manage future re-registrations. By Renai LeMay, ZDNet Australia - 31 May 2005

Are you a Quicken Customer? I am (sorry, was) and I never received an email.

I did however visit their web site and found a link to access the re-registration refund. The task is so daunting, in my opinion, I doubt anyone will try.

You have to provide considerable registration and re-registration details (data Quicken already have via your customer number) then find all your relevant telephone accounts (as the fee was charged via a 1900 re-registration telephone call), if you can't find your telephone account, which could be one to two years old, then forget your refund as Quicken has stated that they will not consider your application. Their reason for this is they say they cannot verify the amount. The fee was time based with a maximum $9.00 charged, the minimum time to carry out the transaction is about 2.5 minutes (I know through experience), that's $8.20. So there you are; Quicken could use this data to refund all their Customers without causing so much pain.

What's next; then you must complete a printed form (you have to download this form from the Quicken website) for each refund request and attach the relevant telephone account details. You then have to fill out a Statutory Declaration for each one, getting an approved officer (e.g. Justice of the Peace) to witness your signature on each form. After you have done all this you then mail the lot to Quicken.

If you run a small business, then the cost of your time to do this would far outweigh the refund amount.

Putting such an obstacle in the customer's way to access their legitimate refund, says a lot about attitudes to customer relationships, go figure.

I have requested the ACCC revisit this issue with a view to making access to your legitimate refund a little easier. I will keep you informed if I ever receive a reply.

'Misleading' links dropped  

THE Trading Post, which publishes classified advertising in print and online, has stopped linking its autotrader website to the name of a competitor, following an investigation by the consumer regulator ACCC.

NSW Hunter Valley company Stickybeek, which operates a website used by businesses in the region for advertising, alleged the Trading Post was misleading internet users into believing it was associated with Stickybeek's business.

Stickybeek said the Trading Post had used a sponsored link to the Stickybeek name on the Google website, ensuring that a link to the Trading Post's autotrader website appeared next to the results of a search for the term Stickybeek.

Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) chairman Graeme Samuel said the conduct may have contravened sections of the Trade Practices Act, although this was not admitted by The Trading Post. >>> more

One of Engadine Web Services customers is currently suffering this same inappropriate linking by a competitor. If you do find your site being compromised in this way don't hesitate, go straight to the ACCC and fill out their General complaints form and hang on like a bull terrier.

Phishing complaints double in Australia  

The number of people complaining about falling victim to or being targeted by a phishing scam has doubled in Australia over the past few months, according to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC).

ASIC commissioner Professor Berna Collier told ZDNet Australia on Wednesday she felt the issue was accelerating so fast that a general warning to raise awareness was necessary.

"The number of complaints we received in April and May was double the amount we received in February and March this year. Last year the number of complaints was double what we received the year before so unfortunately it is an accelerating trend," said Collier.

Collier said ASIC received complaints from both individuals and companies alike and although the largest and best known organisations were hardest hit, phishers are not discriminating who they target.

"We receive all types of complaints. You are more likely to surrender your personal details -- by way of confirmation -- to an organisation that you believe is your bank. But much commerce is done electronically so people expect to be contacted electronically," said Collier. By Munir Kotadia, ZDNet Australia. >>> more

Fixes in for critical IE, Windows flaws  

Microsoft on Tuesday issued three "critical" patches for flaws that could allow a malicious attacker to take remote control of a computer.

One fix deals with vulnerabilities in Internet Explorer, while the others tackle problems with HTML Help and Server Message Block in the Windows operating system. The security bulletins were three of 10 released by the software giant as part of its monthly patch cycle.

"This is definitely a significant set of patches," said Jimmy Kuo, a McAfee fellow. "We have three remote code execution patches--one being for IE, which is prevalent. The other two are for HTML Help and Server Message block, which are also installed on all PCs with Windows". >>> more

Quotes of the Day  

Opera is when a guy gets stabbed in the back and, instead of bleeding, he sings. Ed Gardner

I've never struck a woman in my life, not even my own mother. W. C. Fields (1880 - 1946)

Read over your compositions, and wherever you meet with a passage which you think is particularly fine, strike it out. Samuel Johnson (1709 - 1784), from Boswell's Life of Johnson.

After one look at this planet any visitor from outer space would say "I want to see the manager." William S. Burroughs (1914 - )

Brought to you by The Quotations Page

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