Well that is a bit of a blow to our esteem is it not?

Will you be one of those warned off or having your computer hacked and used for spam - would you know?

[quote]Call to banish virus-hit computers from internet
January 25, 2010 12:00AM

COMPUTERS infected with viruses could be "expelled" from the internet under a new industry code to control Australia's plague of contaminated PCs.

The federal government has given the internet industry an operate-or-legislate ultimatum to identify "zombie" computers involved in cyber-crime.

The Internet Industry Association - whose members include major internet service providers Optus, Telstra, Vodafone, AAPT, Virgin and Hutchison 3G, as well as industry giants Facebook, Google and Microsoft - is preparing a voluntary industry code to come into force this year.

The move follows industry intelligence that Australia now hosts the world's third-highest number of "zombie" computers infected with malicious software that can attack other PCs, send spam, store child pornography or steal the user's identity.

A draft copy of the voluntary code says the ISPs should identify affected computers and try to contact the users, by phone or email.

It proposes ISPs apply an "abuse" plan to slow down the speed of the customer's infected computer, or to change the customer's password so they are forced to call the ISP help desk.

"(Another action could be to) provide the customer with a timeframe in which to take remedial access and, if this is not adhered to, terminate service."

The code states ISPs should cut off internet access only in the "most extreme of cases", when a customer had refused to install anti-virus software, or where the amount of spam being sent from the customer's account was clogging up the network.

A global report by security technology giant McAfee reveals that Australia now ranks behind only the US and China for the number of "zombie" computers that fell under the control of spammers in 2009. "The `Land Down Under' is proving to be fertile ground for zombie recruiting," the report says.

It estimates Australia accounts for 6.3 per cent of the world's "new zombies", compared with 18 per cent from the US and 13.3 per cent from China. Just two years ago, Australia was not even in the top 10 countries listed in McAfee's Global Threats report.

The internet industry's voluntary code of conduct is being pushed by the federal Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy.

The department has told a parliamentary inquiry into cyber-crime that the voluntary code is faster than introducing legislation.

"We've always said that if this does not work then government will have to consider firmer options because this is really serious stuff," Keith Besgrove, the first assistant secretary of the digital economy services division, told a cyber-crime hearing in Canberra late last year.

"This is damn dangerous and we've got to do something about it." [/quote]

[url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/call-to-cut-net-link-on-virus-hit-computers/story-e6frg6n6-1225823060022?from=public_rss]source[/url]

this is really an addition to the Internet Explorer warning and the fact that many dont update their computers with patches monthly from M$. You can switch on automatic updates - via Security Centre if you have XP or later version - go to Start>control>
Security centre and click on settings if your auto updates are off.

alternatively being a bit lazy you can put on Secunia PSI and it will not only give you the link to do it but also tell you if any of your other programs are ion need of a patch or update too and then you can turn off auto up dates at Security. because it can cause problems on some computers.

Secunia is on the Alert to IE post with some instructions to set your cookies.

Virus protection is most important and the best free programs are Avast or Avira - paid Program No 1. is Nod 32.

Best Anti spyware are SAS or MAM both free too but both offer real time protection with paid version. But you can only run one real time. But can have both to check on each other.

Also silent protection is Spyware Blaster.

I run Avast, *SAS Pro, Spyware Blaster as a package and also have *MAM as boot version -plus I run
WinPatrol and after using it for a while got the paid version which is WinPatrol Plus because it gives you info on all the things on start up and active X etc and if needed what they do and what is safe plus link to go read about what others are saying. Good stuff if you are not sure what bits are and learning and not as expensive as having to get a tech in.

Dont forget Ccleaner also link on Alert IE thread. Must have thingy to make it all start up fast and shut down fast too. Can set it to clean daily on boot up.

You can get all these programs and more from this link which is safe to use. Some are not so bookmark this site as safe one - Hippo and Cnet are Okay too but this one give good advice and a screen shot to see what it looks like and a score from others and comments too.

http://www.majorgeeks.com/

*SAS is Super Anti Spyware
*MAM is Malabytes Anti Malware.

Both top rated.