The Safe Way to Save Data Online

Maybe you’ve seen this error message on your computer: “Oops … the system encountered a problem (#700).” Or this one: “Arrggh! Our tubes are clogged!”. Or, sometimes most distressing of all, a notice that a site will be shut down.

These are no ordinary messages. They’re attached to online services that store your mail and contacts (Gmail); photo collection (Flickr); music (Lala) and more. When the computer servers on these sites -- and others like them -- go down, you lose access to your data, and you can’t do anything but wait.

More people are storing information on the Web than ever before -- 143 million in 2009 alone, according to ABI Research. That number is expected to grow to 160.6 million by 2015. Naturally, companies are coming out with new services that store files away from your computer and external drives, or “in the cloud.”

The rewards -- and risks -- of cloud computing
With this rush to offer cloud services comes unregulated risks that have caught the attention of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The FTC has set its sights on the question of who owns the data on the servers and what happens to that data if you decide to discontinue using that service. Earlier this year, the FTC asked another government agency, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), to look into what cloud computing means for individuals -- and whether the government needs to step in to protect you from cloud computing service providers.

“The storage of data on remote computers may ... raise privacy and security concerns for consumers,”wrote David Vladeck, head of the FTC's Consumer Protection Bureau, in a letter to the FCC. The FTC is concerned that the collection of data stored on a server could mean that your personal information is aggregated with other consumers’ to draw conclusions and sell to advertisers.

Although these issues still have months -- if not years -- to be resolved, cloud services are still a viable option for data storage. You just need to know how to keep your data safe.
How to protect yourself
“There are most definitely ways to protect yourself as a consumer,” says Jeffrey Payne, CEO of Coveros, a security consulting firm that analyzes software for risks. “While some risks are difficult to address, others are easily dealt with by anyone savvy enough to use Gmail.”

The World Privacy Forum suggests taking these steps to understand a service provider’s plans for your data:

• Read the Terms of Service before placing any information in the cloud. If you don’t understand the Terms of Service, consider using a different cloud provider.
• Don’t put anything in the cloud you would not want the government or a private litigant to see.
• Pay close attention if the cloud provider reserves rights to use, disclose or make your information public while you’re using the service.
• Read the privacy policy before placing your information in the cloud. If you don’t understand the policy, consider using a different provider.
• Find out if, when you remove your data from the service, the cloud provider still retains rights to your information. Consider whether that makes a difference to you.
• Ask if the cloud provider gives advance notice of any change of terms in the terms of service or privacy policy.

According to a study by Harris Interactive, 80 percent of respondents had security concerns with cloud computing. Knowing what the risks are -- and how to avoid them -- will make cloud computing a breeze.

Copyright (c) 2010 Studio One Networks. All rights reserved. Story by Laura Rich

Internet a 'surveillance machine'

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has blasted the mainstream media, Washington, banks and the internet itself as he addressed journalists in Hong Kong via videolink from house arrest in England.

Fresh from accepting a Walkley award for journalism on Sunday, Assange spoke to the News World Summit in Hong Kong on Monday before keeping a regular appointment with the police.

He defended his right to call himself a journalist and said WikiLeaks' next 'battle' would be to ensure that the internet does not turn into a vast surveillance tool for governments and corporations.

'Of course I'm a goddamn journalist,' he responded with affected frustration when a moderator of the conference asked if he was a member of the profession.

He said his written record spoke for itself and argued that the only reason people kept asking him if he was a journalist was because the United States government wanted to silence him.

'The United States government does not want legal protection for us,' he said, referring to a US Justice Department investigation into his whistleblower website for releasing secret diplomatic and military documents.

The former hacker criticised journalists and the mainstream media for becoming too cosy with the powerful and secretive organisations they were supposed to be holding to account.

In a 40-minute address, he also accused credit card companies such as Visa and MasterCard of illegally cutting WikiLeaks off from funding under a secret deal with the White House.

'Issues that should be decided in open court are being decided in back rooms in Washington,' he said.

The internet itself had become 'the most significant surveillance machine that we have ever seen', Assange said in reference to the amount of information people give about themselves online.

'It's not an age of transparency at all ... the amount of secret information is more than ever before,' he said, adding that information flows in but is not flowing out of governments and other powerful organisations.

'I see that really is our big battle. The technology gives and the technology takes away,' he added.

The anti-secrecy activist then held up a handwritten sign from an aide telling him to 'stop' talking or he would be late for a mandatory appointment with police.

Assange, 40, is under house arrest in England pending the outcome of a Swedish extradition request over claims of rape and sexual assault made by two women. He says he is the victim of a smear campaign.

Cybercrime to get even bigger - expert

An expert says cybercrime is soaring, it already costs Australians more than burglary and will only increase as more people use smartphones.

Marian Merritt, internet safety advocate with computer security company Norton, said a new global study showed 69 per cent of adults around the world experienced cybercrime in their lifetime, much more than previously thought because this type of crime mostly isn't reported.

'Ten per cent of us have already experienced mobile device related cybercrime. That's cybercrime on our cellphones, tablets and other devices we carry with us as we go about our business,' she said.

'It's only going to get bigger because we are all doing more and more with our mobile devices,' she said.

Cybercrime on mobile devices has produced a new word: smishing, or SMS-based phishing which aims to gain private information.

In some countries, many people go straight to mobile devices for all their computing needs, bypassing the home PC route. More and more, mobile devices are being used for routine financial transactions.

'We are going to walk up to buy coffee and use our mobile device to make that financial transaction, we are going to check our bank balance and we are going to make purchases,' she said.

'This is what's coming in the future and we need it to be safe. This is truly a phenomenon we need to take note of.'

Ms Merritt said part of the problem was that users didn't treat smartphones in the same way they treated their home PC.

'We are all playing little bird-related games on them. We put funny stickers on the back of them. They don't seem like serious devices that need security but boy they really are,' she said.

In its fourth global review of cybercrime, Norton surveyed the experiences of 20,000 people in 24 countries including 802 in Australia.

Taking into account actual financial losses and other factors such as time lost, the study puts the global cost at $US388 billion over the last year. That makes cybercrime bigger than the combined global market for marijuana, cocaine and heroin combined.

For Australia, that's a direct cost of $1.8 billion and another $2.8 billion in time spent resolving cybercrime issues. On that basis, cybercrime costs Australia more than the traditional crimes of burglary ($2.2 billion) and assault ($1.4 billion).

The most common form of cybercrime relates to computer virus and malware infection (57 per cent of respondents), followed by online credit card fraud (13 per cent) and hacking of social network data (12 per cent). Worryingly, the survey said, most of this occurred in the last year.

Ms Merritt suggests some simple precautions:

- use security software and keep it up to date (Norton is of course a major vendor).

- use a password for a mobile device (something more sophisticated than 1234) so it can't be readily used if lost or stolen.

Facebook doubles 2011 revenues

Facebook doubled its revenues in the first half of this year, to 1.6 billion dollars ($A1.5 billion).

The Wall Street Journal reports that, with 750 million Facebook members worldwide, the online site has attracted major interest from advertisers.

Facebook launches free SMS alternative

Facebook is attempting to play a strong card against telcos with the release of a new instant messaging app that will also send free SMS.

The world's largest social media company released Facebook Messenger for iPhone and Android phones earlier this week in the US, with Australia to soon follow.

The application allows for instant free messages between friends and groups with several options for when you are notified.

But Telstra said it doesn't expect a move away from SMS despite the availability of free alternatives.

"Telstra has seen continued SMS growth in the face of mobile social networking" said a spokeswoman speaking to News.

The app will also be in competition with Blackberry's instant messaging service, which sends encrypted messages, preventing them from being read by any one other than the sending and receiver.

Blackberry's maker, Research in Motion went under the microscope recently when it was found that rioters in the UK were using the service to coordinate acts of violence and destruction.

A similar card will also be played by Apple next month when it releases its iMessenger app with the iOS 5 software update.

It will provide iPhone and iPad users the ability to exchange SMS style messages without using a mobile carrier.

Govt to consider new Facebook law

The federal government says education, rather than legislation, is the best way to protect children using Facebook and other social media.

But the government has agreed to look at proposals being prepared by South Australia, including tighter age limits on use of the social media and giving parents more rights to access their children's Facebook accounts.

The SA government will prepare a discussion paper on the issue after raising its concerns at a meeting of state and federal attorneys-general in Adelaide on Friday.

Federal Justice Minister Brendan O'Connor said the government was loath to legislate where legislation was not going to work.

'I think education is the key,' he said.

'We need to make sure young people are informed about the potential risks.

'The cyber world is a magnificent place, it's a fantastic educational tool, it's a fantastic place for people to engage socially.

'But the internet is not a benign playground. There are potential threats to young people in particular.'

South Australian Attorney-General John Rau said Australia was going through a revolution in the way people consumed and generated information.

'That is a technologically driven change that is way ahead of the legal system and probably the thinking of most governments around the world and certainly in this country,' he said.

'We are grappling with changes that are moving more quickly than most people would have thought possible only a few years ago.'

SA's proposals are likely to include a provision to raise the age for Facebook users and to also require the site to seek proof of age.

They will also consider allowing greater parental access.

Facebook currently requires users to be aged at least 13, but there is no requirement to provide proof of age.

A SA mother found recently that her teenage daughter had uploaded inappropriate pictures of herself to her Facebook page but the mother was prevented by Facebook from removing them.

Mr Rau said that case highlighted the concerns of many parents, while Mr O'Connor said more needed to be done to educate and inform young people of the dangers associated with posting material online.

'People need to think carefully about what they upload, what they put onto their Facebook and social websites,' he said.

Security holes found in iPhones, iPad

A new security hole has opened up in Apple's iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch devices, raising alarms about the susceptibility of some of the world's hottest tech gadgets to hacker attacks.

Flaws in the software running those devices came to light after a German security agency warned that criminals could use them to steal confidential data off the devices.

Apple, the world's largest technology company by market value, said on Thursday that it is working on a fix that will be distributed in an upcoming software upgrade.

With the security hole, an attacker can get malicious software onto a device by tricking its owner into clicking an infected PDF file.

Germany's Federal Office for Information Security called the flaws 'critical weaknesses' in Apple's iOS operating system.

Internet-connected mobile devices are still subject to fewer attacks than personal computer, but they could eventually prove a juicy target for hackers because they are warehouses of confidential banking, email, calendar, contact and other data.

Software vulnerabilities are discovered all the time. What makes the latest discovery alarming is that the weaknesses are already being actively exploited - albeit in a consensual way.

The latest concerns were prompted by the emergence of a new version of a program to allow Apple devices to run any software and circumvent the restrictions that Apple notoriously retains over software distributed through its online store.

There are security risks of doing so, but many people find it liberating to install their own software.

Although this program is something people would seek out, the weaknesses that its authors discovered could easily be used for malice, security experts say.

There is an irony in the controversy: The site distributing the program offers a fix for the problem, but to get the fix, a user has to first install the program in question. So a user must defy Apple's restrictions to get the protection until Apple comes up with a fix of its own.

Charlie Miller, a prominent hacker of Apple products, said it likely took months to develop the program to break Apple's restrictions, but a criminal might need only a day or two to modify it for nefarious purposes.

Apple spokeswoman Bethan Lloyd said Thursday the company is 'aware of this reported issue and developing a fix.' She would not say when the update will be available.

One reason for gadget owners to take heart: Attacks on smartphones and other internet gadgets are still relatively rare. One reason is PC-based attacks are still highly lucrative.

Still, vulnerabilities such as the ones Apple is confronting show that consumers should take care of securing their mobile devices as they would their home computer.

'These things are computers - they're just small, portable computers that happen to have a phone tacked onto them,' said Marc Fossi, manager of research and development for Symantec Security Response.

'You've got to treat them more like a computer than a phone. You have to be aware of what's going on with these devices.'

NBN Co boss apologises for mistake

The head of the company behind the national broadband network (NBN) has apologised for mistakenly misleading the public about his previous responsibilities at communications firm Alcatel-Lucent.

Alcatel-Lucent was fined $US137 million ($A130 million) after a US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation found it had paid bribes to government officials in Costa Rica and other countries to secure contracts.

NBN Co Ltd chief executive Mike Quigley was Americas president and then president and chief operating officer of the firm between 2001 and 2006 when the events took place.

Mr Quigley had previously stated Costa Rica fell outside his jurisdiction but on Monday he confirmed to a joint parliamentary hearing in Sydney this was not the case, and apologised.

'I clearly was advised by one of my previous colleagues in North America, who's currently still with Alcatel-Lucent, to check for me whether Costa Rica was within my area of operation and control,' he said.

'On the basis of that advice I stated that it was not.

'This was an error for which I unreservedly apologise.'

NBN Co had issued a statement on Friday saying that contrary to previous advice, Costa Rica was among the many countries in North, Central and South America that were part of Mr Quigley's 'wide-ranging portfolio of responsibilities' between March 2001 to January 2003.

Federal opposition communications spokesman Malcolm Turnbull said Communications Minister Stephen Conroy and the government should have been more aware of Mr Quigley's role with Alcatel-Lucent.

'Nobody is suggesting any impropriety or dishonesty on the part of Mr Quigley,' Mr Turnbull told reporters on Monday.

'He's clearly made a number of mistaken or false statements which he has now corrected and apologised for.

'There's no effort to impugn his integrity but as representatives of the people whose taxes are paying for this NBN, we are entitled to ask questions and try to get to the facts.'

Mr Quigley said it would be better for him to refrain from making further comments about the US investigation into Alcatel-Lucent, which operates in about 130 countries.

'There's a hearing taking place in early June in the US which is a settlement between Alcatel-Lucent, and the SEC and the DOJ and I don't know the details,' he said.

'I don't believe it is my job to start defending Alcatel-Lucent in light of this investigation.

'I am not going to be involved in a situation in which if I say something in response to a question I could then... get it wrong - the best thing to do is to stop answering detailed questions.'

Mr Quigley earlier said at no time had the SEC sought to interview or question him about those matters.

Alcatel-Lucent agreed last December to pay $US137 million in fines and penalties to settle the US charges relating to bribes paid in countries in Latin America and Asia between December 2001 and June 2006.

iPads Have Big Potential for Retailers

Tablets encourage new shopping experiences

The features of Apple’s iPad and competing tablets have made them an ideal entertainment and media consumption device, but many tablet owners also have a strong interest in online shopping, and retailers are taking note.

“The iPad’s portability, tactile screen and vivid graphics foster a casual and exploratory shopping experience that leads to product discovery, impulse buying and shared purchasing,” said Jeffrey Grau, eMarketer principal analyst and author of the new report, “How the iPad Is Transforming Retail.”

Some 41% of consumers likely to purchase an iPad cited shopping as a reason for their interest, reported Vision Critical, a Vancouver-based research and technology firm, in a November 2010 survey.

This year, eMarketer estimates, the US installed base for tablet devices will reach 24 million. And research from Pew Internet and American Life Project and Forrester Research shows buyers tend to be young, educated and wealthy.

“Savvy retailers are creating iPad shopping experiences that deepen their connections with customers,” said Grau. “The iPad is like a companion. There is also a certain sense of intimacy in curling up on a couch with the device. It inspires a serendipitous shopping experience, somewhat akin to browsing a catalog.”

In addition, retailers may have an even bigger opportunity in arming in-store sales associates with the devices. Thanks to the iPad, retail’s dream of web-enabled in-store kiosks providing additional product information and access to an “endless aisle” of goods may finally be realized.

Janrain: Facebook Has Eclipsed Google As Most Popular Sign-In Choice

Janrain, a user management platform that enables third party sign-in with 18 different providers, including Facebook, Google, and Twitter; is releasing its Q1 2011 report today. Janrain’s report analyzes data from networks for social login and social sharing across the 350,000 websites worldwide that use Janrain sign-in product, Engage. For the first time in a year, Facebook has surpassed Google as the consumer preference for signing into Internet sites using Janrain.

 

During Q1 of 2011 (January 1 through March 31), 35% of online users chose to sign-in to sites with a Facebook account compared to 27% in Q4 of 2010. And 31% of users chose their Google log-in in Q1, followed by Yahoo with 13% and Twitter with 7%.

 

 

Janrain actually analyzed sign-in data by type of site as well.

For example, Facebook is the most popular sign-in choice on news media sites for the second consecutive quarter, with 34% share, up from 32% in the previous quarter. Yahoo commanded a 28% share of all social logins in the news sector. Of course, Facebook’s share could increase more with the introduction of Facebook’s new commenting system.

 

 

Facebook has also picked up momentum in the retail space, says Janrain, with a quarterly growth rate of about 5% over the past three quarters.

The startup says that this increase is at the expense of Yahoo, as opposed to Google, whose share has held steady over the past four quarters. Facebook’s login share on retail sites is up 10% over the past year, and Yahoo’s login share is down 11% year-over-year.

 

On mobile devices, Facebook and Google lead the pack by a considerable margin. Twitter’s share (11%) is greater on mobile devices than desktop platforms.

The data above examines logins in the U.S., says Janrain, and the data internationally presents different trends. For example, Windows Live is twice as popular in Europe as a sign-in choice when compared with the U.S. Hyves commands as much as 60% share of all social logins on websites in the Netherlands, and regional portals such Web.de and GMX are popular in Germany. In Southeast Asia, Yahoo is the popular social login choice, and Google performs well in Brazil due to the popularity of Google’s social network Orkut.

Story source: techcrunch.com

Most Marketers Keep Social Media In-house

Roughly seven in 10 (72%) marketers who engage in social media marketing efforts do not outsource those efforts, according to the “2011 Social Media Marketing Report” from SocialMedia Examiner. However, SocialMedia Examiner notes the number of those who are outsourcing social media efforts has doubled since 2010, from 14% to 28%.

Design/Development Most Often Outsourced

Among marketers who do outsource social media marketing efforts, the most commonly outsourced task is design/development, which 17% say they outsource. MarketingCharts observes that the other most commonly outsourced tasks, such as content creation (10%) and analytics (10%), can also be considered “behind the scenes” functions. “Real time” functions such as community management (4%) and live tweeting (3%) are less likely to be outsourced.

8 in 10 Social Marketers Use Email

The study asked social media marketers what other types of marketing they were participating in. The top three included email marketing (81%), search engine optimization (68%) and event marketing (64%).

SocialMedia Examiner analysis indicates B2B marketers were significantly more likely to employ search engine optimization (71% B2B compared to 65% B2C) and event marketing (70% B2B compared to 58% B2C). Organizations with 1,000 or more employees were more likely to participate in event marketing (73%).

In addition, social media marketers with three or more years of experience were more likely to participate in search engine optimization (80%) and event marketing (79%) than the overall respondent group.

9 in 10 Marketers Use Facebook

Nine in 10 marketers (92%) use the Facebook social network as a marketing tool, according to other study results. Data indicates Facebook is the most popular social network among marketers by a wide margin. The second-most-popular social network among marketers, Twitter, has an 84% adoption rate, meaning Facebook is almost 10% more popular than its closest competitor as a marketing tool.

The professional networking site LinkedIn comes in third with 71% marketer adoption. Rather than a specific network, blogs follow with 68% usage, and YouTube/other video sites are used by 56% of marketers.

There is a substantial dropoff of more than 50% between the marketer adoption rates of YouTube/other video sites and their closest competitor, social bookmarking/news sites, used by only 26% of marketers. MySpace comes in last with only 6% adoption as a marketing tool.

Twitter privacy dispute for WikiLeaks

Three people associated with the website WikiLeaks are asking a US judge not to force the social networking site Twitter to turn over data about whom they communicate with online.

In court documents unsealed on Tuesday, the three challenged a court order forcing Twitter to tell the government the names of those they talk to privately and who follow their posts. Lawyers argued that violated their freedom of speech.

The documents capture the heart of the WikiLeaks debate because the United States is investigating whether WikiLeaks should be held responsible for leaking classified information, even though it was not the original leaker.

Defence lawyers say it is a question of political discussion, arguing that Twitter communication about WikiLeaks is protected speech.

'The First Amendment guarantees their right to speak up and freely associate with even unpopular people and cause,' lawyers wrote.

The documents were filed by a member of Iceland's parliament and a former WikiLeaks activist, Birgitta Jonsdottir, as well as two computer programmers, Rop Gonggrijp and Jacob Appelbaum.

Source: www.bigpond.com

Zuckerberg's Facebook fan site hacked

A Facebook fan page dedicated to the site's creator, Mark Zuckerberg, was hacked Tuesday morning. The hack was relatively benign, only updating a single fake status update as the young billionaire, but was another embarrassing security lapse for a company often criticized for being too open with user data.

A status update from Zuckerberg on the fan page read: "Let the hacking begin: If facebook needs money, instead of going to the banks, why doesn’t Facebook let its users invest in Facebook in a social way? Why not transform Facebook into a ‘social business’ the way Nobel Price (six) winner Muhammad Yunus described it? http://bit.ly/fs6rT3 What do you think? #hackercup2011"

While the post was only up for a matter of minutes, over 1,800 people "Liked" the status update and a debate about its merits over 400 comments-long began beneath it. More than 2.8 million people are members of the fan page.

Facebook removed the entire fan page for a few hours after the fake update was posted, but the page was live again later in the day. The latest update currently posted to the page is from Dec. 15, 2010.

The "Hackercup2011" hash-tag in the post is a reference to Facebook's annual programming competition, but doesn't seem to bear much relevance to the update.

Meanwhile, Internet security experts are speculating about how the hack might have been perpetrated. Everything from Firesheep — a free Firefox Internet browser extension that allows users to take control of other people's password-protected pages like Facebook when on an unsecured network — to Zuckerberg's own weak password choices are being blamed.

"It is difficult to know exactly why or how Zuckerberg’s fan page was hacked. He could have also had some malware on his computer which grabbed his username and password when he logged on and then hackers used the information to attack the page," Internet security expert Graham Cluly told the Telegraph newspaper in London. "I think this hack is really embarrassing for Facebook, because if Mark Zuckerberg can be hacked, other users are just as vulnerable."

As of Wednesday, Facebook had declined to comment on the hack, though a post on the company's blog on Wednesday identified numerous new efforts to boost security on the site.

Story source: http://www.torontosun.com

Vint Cerf 'jealous' of Australia's $36 billion broadband plan

 

• One of the internet's pioneers
• $36 billion is "stunning investment"
• Filter net at production end, not distribution

ONE of the internet's founding fathers says he's "jealous" of Australia's $36 billion broadband network.

Vint Cerf, who helped develop email and TCP/IP technology, told The Australian during a visit to Sydney yesterday he thought the NBN was a "stunning investment".

"I continue to feel a great deal of envy because in the US our broadband infrastructure is nothing like what Australia has planned," he said.

Now Google's chief web evangelist, Dr Cerf was, however, not so kind towards Prime Minister Julia Gillard's bid to censor the internet, saying it was not an "effective move".

The Federal Government wants to force every ISP to filter websites rated with a refused classification tag, in accordance with a secret government blacklist.

Dr Cerf's advice was to instead attack the source of a problem at the production end, instead of focusing on its distribution.

"This (policy) is an understandable desire to be protective of society, but technically I don't think it's a very effective move," Dr Cerf said.

"The argument that there's bad information out there and therefore we should somehow supress it - one counter argument is the antidote to bad information is more information ... I think (web 2.0 pioneer) Esther Dyson was the first person I heard that from.

"This doesn't mean however that we could not, as a society, agree that certain kinds of information are societally unacceptable."

Dr Cerf said there was a big difference between the production and distribution of content that might be unacceptable to the general public.

"Some people would like to attack problems of content at the wrong layer in the internet architecture," he said.

The question to ask was: "Who is putting that information out in the first place? That's the place to attack the problem."

Read more about Vint Cerf's thoughts on the internet in Australia at The Australian

Read more: http://www.news.com.au/technology/vint-cerf-jealous-of-australias-36-billion-broadband-plan/story-e6frfro0-1225992747397#ixzz1Bu3mOcdp

Google Improves Share of Search Engine Ad Spend

Google increased its share of search engine advertising spend from Q3 2010 to Q4 2010 by 3%, rising from 80.2% to 82.6%, according to a new white paper from performance marketing firm SearchIgnite. The Q4 2010 US Search Market Report indicates the Yahoo and Bing search engines, tracked as a combined unit by SearchIgnite, only accounted for 17.4% of fourth quarter search spend, down slightly from the previous quarter.

YoY Search Spend Climbs Each Quarter of 2010

In contrast to the year-over-year (YoY) declines experienced in 2009, punctuated by a nearly 10% drop in Q3, YoY search spend based on a same-client basis increased by 18.5% in 2010, setting up a positive start to 2011.

Growth of about 35% in Q4 2010 (see more detail below) brought up the overall average, as increases in the first three quarters ranged from roughly 5% to 15% (based on MarketingCharts estimates of SearchIgnite graphical data).

Q4 Ends Year on High Note

In 2010, Q4 saw particularly strong growth with 35.3% YoY increase in search spend (Q4 2009 YoY search spend was flat). All other underlying metrics in Q4 2010 show positive results, with 20.6% YoY increase in clicks, 2.3% YoY increase in impressions and 17.9% YoY increase in clickthrough rate (CTR).

In particular, search momentum built up throughout the quarter with accelerated spend (YOY Oct +25.4%, Nov +35.3%, Dec +44.8%).

Holiday Season Spurs Higher Retail Spending

The retail vertical reported even greater increases in search spend (36.6% YoY), average order value (AOV, 31.3% YoY) and conversion rates (22.5% YoY) for Q4 2010 based on same retail spend. Consumers are spending more per order compared to the Q4 2009 holiday season, which SearchIgnite says signifies an improvement in consumer sentiment.

Notably, AOV was up 48.3% YoY in December 2010. This is a significant improvement from 2009, when Q4 AOV declined by 13% YoY.

Microsoft Grows Total Core Search Share 6%

The top five rankings for total core search queries and total core search share were identical in December 2010, according to new data from comScore. However, Microsoft was the only search provider that saw its share grow, rising 6% from 11.3% to 12%. Google stayed flat with 64.3% share, while Yahoo lost 2.6%, dropping from 19.3% to 18.5%.

Protect Your Online Security When Using Wi-Fi Hotspots

Whether you’re heading home for the holidays or simply escaping to a warmer clime for a little sunshine, you’ll probably want to stay connected while you’re traveling from point A to point B. Public wi-fi access is everywhere—in cafes and even in the friendly skies.

Here are some tips to protect your online security when you use public wi-fi.

A public hotspot is a wireless network set up for shared Internet access. The hotspot host buys a wireless access point, connects that device to the Internet, and broadcasts its signal within a public place. Anyone with a wireless card within range of the host’s access point can access its network and use the Internet.

Most proprietors make it quick and easy for customers to use their hotspots. But by minimizing login requirements and avoiding encryption compatibility issues, they disable much of the security built into the wireless device.

This is a notable tradeoff. Without encryption, your plain text data passes unprotected through the air as radio signals. Those signals can be intercepted by anyone with a receiver and some basic, widely available tools.

When the hotspot you’re on doesn’t use encryption, someone who intercepts your data can read whatever you’ve sent--whether it’s a private email or a user name and password combination.

Beware of Cybercriminals

Although it’s unlikely that nosy hotspot neighbors will put your privacy at risk, you should be on the alert for the most serious hotspot danger: a cybercriminal.

These technically savvy hackers have the tools, skills, and patience to work around the limited protection measures some hotspot hosts take.

For example, some cybercriminals have learned to use social engineering methods to con hotspot users into divulging sensitive information. By wi-phishing, a cybercriminal can pre-empt a hotspot’s wireless signal with one of his own, spoof the legitimate network name, and replace the sign-up page with a look-alike. You’ll end up supplying your information to this evil twin, not the hotspot provider.

Once you’re on the spoofed hotspot, you may be redirected to other fraudulent or virus-laden Web sites, or even be tricked into setting up a “new account” and providing credit card numbers or other identifying information.

Tips to Keep Yourself Safe at Public Hotspots

With these security dangers lurking, protecting yourself at public hotspots becomes your own responsibility. Here are some things you can do to keep yourself safe:

• Be aware of your surroundings. Make sure no one is peering over your shoulder when you log into your operating system, email, IM, or other accounts.
• Never leave your laptop or handheld device unattended—not even for a moment.
• Don’t allow your wireless card to automatically join the nearest network. Instead, manually select the hotspot when you connect.
• Make sure you’re on a legitimate hotspot by checking with the host to confirm the network name and connection process.
• Turn off file sharing when you’re using a hotspot, and try to minimize the amount of sensitive, personal data you store on your laptops and mobile devices. You can usually turn off file sharing from your operating system’s network settings menu.
• Don’t do your online banking or trading at a public hotspot. Save it for a more safe and controlled environment.
• Limit email and IM to casual communications. If you use IM or email at hotspots, never send anything that should not be made public. Consider setting up an extra Web-based email account to use at hotspots.
• Don’t surf Web sites you wouldn’t want a stranger to know you’re viewing.
• Turn off your wireless card when you’re not using it.
• When you’re on a public hotspot, you have no idea what infections other connected computers might have, or whether there may be a hacker prowling the network. Norton Antivirus or Norton Internet Security--both from Symantec--protect you from viruses, worms, Trojan horses, and dangerous intruders.
• Make wise computing decisions. Always avoid using hotspots for important communications or transactions.

Conclusion

Public wi-fi hotspots can be both friend and foe during your travels, unless you take precautions. It’s up to you to protect your computer, your data, and your privacy with good tools and cautious computing habits. We hope the tips we offered in this article help you to do just that.

Story source: Norton article library

1 in 10 US Households Reports Computer Crime

Slightly more than one in 10 (11%) US households self-reported a computer or internet crime on their home computer in the past year, which represents a new high according to Gallup.

Computer Crime Rises 57% YOY

For the past several years, Gallup data shows self-reported US computer/internet crime rates holding a steady 6-8%, including 7% in 2009. However, this year’s 11% rate is a substantial 57% increase from the 2009 rate.

Computer Crime Third-most Reported

Of the nine types of crime Gallup asked Americans about in an October 7-10, 2010 survey, having money or property stolen received the highest mentions, at 16%, followed by having a home, car, or other property vandalized, at 14%. The trend for these has been fairly stable in recent years.

Computer/internet crime is the only other type of crime that registers in the double digits this year. However, the next-most common, identify theft, at 8%, is closely related by virtue of much of it occurring through hacking and fraudulent internet transactions. This is down slightly from the 10% who reported identity theft in 2009, the first year Gallup asked about this type of crime.

Fewer than 5% of Americans say that, over the past year, they or a household member was a victim in a home break-in, a car theft, a mugging or physical assault, a money or property theft by force, or a sexual assault.

Younger Americans Hit By Computer Crime More

The increase since 2009 in American households reporting computer- or Internet-based crimes comes mainly from Americans younger than age 55. Eighteen- to 34-year-olds are almost twice as likely to report these crimes as they were a year ago (11% compared to 6%), and 35- to 54-year-olds are also significantly more likely to do so (16% compared to 11%, a 45% increase). In contrast, the rate is virtually unchanged among those 55 and older.

In addition, while rates are similar by gender, the percentage of non-whites reporting computer/internet crimes (14%) is 40% higher than that of whites (10%), and has doubled in the past year. In contrast, the rate among whites has only risen 25%.

One-Third of Households Are Crime Victims

In the past year, a third of all U.S. households experienced at least one of the nine crimes Gallup measured, up slightly from previous years, and about 6% from 31% in 2009. When computer- or internet-based crimes (including identity theft) are excluded, the figure is similar to prior levels, at 26%.

Overall, 4% of Americans say they or a family member experienced some sort of violent crime, including a physical assault, mugging, or sexual assault.

Americans Tend to See Crime Increasing

In 2010, 66% of Americans view crime as increasing, and 17% say it is decreasing, according to other recent Gallup analysis which indicates Americans generally view crime as on the rise. Going back to 1989, 84% of Americans thought crime was increasing. This rate stayed above 80% until the mid-1990s, and then dipped to a recent low point of 43% in 2002, before shooting back up to 62% in 2003.

Sixty-six percent is still an improvement on recent figures. For example, 74% of Americans said crime was increasing in 2009, as did 67% in 2008 and 71% in 2007.

Beware of Word Document Viruses

Here’s what you may already know: Computer viruses are like small software programs. Typically, they are downloaded inadvertently, buried within a file. When you open the file, the virus activates. The virus could damage your system, steal your identity information, infect files that you send out or even send itself to everyone in your email address book from your return address.

But what you might not know is that viruses sneak in through the Microsoft Word files that you often receive via email. Your own documents could be an open door for viruses to wreak havoc on your computer. And in the end, computer viruses and other forms of malicious software (malware) cause billions of pounds in damage and untold anguish for victims of identity theft each year.

Q. Why are Word files vulnerable?

A. Because Microsoft Word files are commonly exchanged, Word viruses have become widespread. Here’s how it works:

• Microsoft Word files contain small programs called "macros," which are customisable shortcuts that automate tasks such as formatting text or applying bullet lists.

• The macro programming language can also be used to write viruses.

• The virus can be sent as part of a Word document.

• The virus automatically activates when you open the Word file.

Q. How can I get tricked into opening a virus-laden Word file?

A. Hackers use a variety of ruses to persuade you to open a virus-infected Word file. They may:

• Spoof the address of a friend, a business or an old friend.

• Pretend to be the sender of an important message from your bank, the IRS or a lottery you’ve won.

• Use topical lures. Last year, for example, when worldwide attention was focused on pro-democracy protests in Myanmar, hackers circulated an infected Word file purporting to be a message of support from the Dalai Lama.

Q. How can I protect myself?

A. Use these tips to avoid Word viruses:

• Only open email attachments that are expected and that come from a trusted source.

• Use Internet security software that automatically scans email attachments for viruses and other malicious software before opening them.

• Delete any suspect messages without opening them.

• Do not click on web links or download files sent through emails or instant messages by someone you don’t know.

The bottom line: Be wary of any file sent to you as an email attachment, even an innocent-looking Microsoft Word file. These files could contain viruses or other malicious software that might damage your system or steal your identity information. And always use Internet security programs to protect against viruses, spyware and spam.

Jennifer Martinez is a freelance writer with a specialty in family computer topics.

Watchdog urges Julia Gillard to reject NBN's monopoly plan

THE competition regulator has punched a hole in the business case for the $36bn NBN by urging the government to reject a proposal to extend its monopoly.

It is understood the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has told the government to discard the NBN Co's contentious plan to build only 14 points of interconnection - where retail service providers will hook into the fibre network to deliver broadband services to consumers - in five capital cities and require 200 points to be implemented.

The rejection could slash the NBN Co's commercial returns from the services it plans to eventually sell and would curb its market dominance.

NBN Co expects to produce returns that will beat the long-term government bond rate, which is a modest 5.41 per cent - but this was predicated on its strategy of 14 interconnection points.

The heavily edited summary of its business case, released last week, argued that if the government's solution on interconnection points "does not promote the same intensity of retail competition", the company's internal rate of return could be 50 to 80 basis points lower. This would be because of a "slower take-up of broadband and slower introduction of retail services that require higher speeds".

Start The ACCC's advice has been presented to the government and is awaiting delivery to cabinet next week for final consideration.

Critics had complained the NBN Co's plan was wasteful because it bypassed hundreds of millions of dollars worth of existing fibre-optic cable built by companies such as Telstra and Optus.

Concerns were also raised that the plan would make the NBN Co too powerful and crowd out competition. "It was crazy of them to want to overbuild parts where there are functioning competitive markets," said one industry source. "It's a win for the industry and it will remind the NBN Co who is in charge here."

The NBN Co has been arguing its plan is the best way to deliver uniform national wholesale pricing. An NBN spokeswoman said last night the body had "said consistently that industry structure is a matter for government and that we will build whatever number of POIs they decide following consideration of the recommendations flowing from the ACCC's public consultation process".

Julia Gillard promised a uniform national wholesale price as part of a policy aimed at maintaining the support of independent MPs Rob Oakeshott and Tony Windsor. There are now concerns about how the government will deliver on that promise.

It is understood the advice to government seeks to tackle the issue via other mechanisms, such as subsidies to regional and rural areas funded from the federal budget or an industry levy. The NBN Co's plans had infuriated major telecom companies, which said it would serve only to leave unused assets that could otherwise have been used to lower the costs paid by consumers.

The telcos had warned that execution of the strategy would have resulted in compensation claims worth "hundreds of millions" of dollars.

Yesterday, the industry was relieved at suggestions the advice to government supported their position. "People seem to think we support an NBN under any circumstances, " said Optus director of government and corporate affairs Maha Krishnapillai. "There are a whole lot of decisions that make NBN borderline and this is one of them. One of the most important principles has been wholesale-only and maximum competition wherever possible, so it's a good thing we are now moving in that direction."

Story by Mitchell Bingemann and Annabel Hepworth www.theaustralian.com.au

Adelaide hacker infects 22,000 computers

An Adelaide computer hacker infected more than 22,000 computers in Australia and overseas with a program to capture banking details, a court has heard.

Anthony Scott Harrison, 20, used the internet to teach himself the necessary hacking and programming skills to launch his attack in 2009 but was caught when suspicious web activity was spotted and tracked by federal police.

He also modified and sold software to allow others to infect computers, with his offending flowing from his obsession with the world of cyber fantasy.

Harrison pleaded guilty to seven charges including four counts of modifying computer data to cause harm.

Defence counsel John Edwards told the South Australian District Court on Wednesday that from the age of 14 his client had become obsessed with playing online computer games and had become 'immersed in the world of cyber fantasy'.

At one stage he was playing online for up to 15 hours a day, often using a simulated hacking game called Slave Hack.

Mr Edwards said Harrison became quite skilled at computer programming and had the capacity to commit serious offending.

But he said a clear distinction should be drawn between what he had the potential to do and what he actually did.

Harrison took only small amounts of money, and his actions were mostly experimental or the result of youthful curiosity, the court was told.

'He never had any intention to make it a large-scale, criminal enterprise,' Mr Edwards said.

He asked Judge Paul Rice to impose a suspended jail sentence and told the court Harrison was interested in becoming an internet security consultant.

Prosecutor Tracey Nelson said 22,370 computers had been infected, and the impact of Harrison's offending had the potential to be felt across the globe.

'Any of us could become a victim to this type of offending very, very easily,' she said.

Harrison will be sentenced on January 13. The judge was told there had been no similar cases across Australia to guide him in regard to what penalty to impose.

Story source: www.bigpond.com