According to Chaim (Hyam) Lee of Aspire Computing in Toowoomba the SonicWALL range of Network Appliances can filter internet content according to pre-selected categories. This can be used to protect businesses from their staff using the internet for inappropriate purposes while at work. The SonicWALL Content Filter can also restrict children at school or at home from accessing Porn and other nasties.
News Ltd. recently reported that Tom Wood a 16-year-old, Year 10, Melbourne schoolboy had cracked the federal government’s new “NetAlert” internet porn filter released in August.
Tom said it took him about 30 minutes to break through the filter. Tom deactivated the filter after several clicks and his method ensures the software’s toolbar icon is not deleted so parents will think that the filter is still working. Tom said a computer-savvy child could post the bypass on the internet for other kids to use.
Communications Minister Senator Helen Coonan said the government had anticipated children would find ways to get around the filters so Suppliers were contracted to provide updates. She said “Unfortunately, no single measure can protect children from online harm and … traditional parenting skills have never been more important.”
Man steals personal info using Limewire file sharing program
from the Sydney Morning Herald
In the USA, the Justice Department recently arrested a man in its first case against someone committing identity theft by using a file-sharing program to steal digital data.
Federal prosecutors said the suspect used ’Limewire’ a file-sharing program to troll other people’s computers across the internet for financial information. He then used the info to open credit card accounts for an online shopping spree.
Authorities said they have identified least 83 victims – most of whom were teenage children who did not know the file-sharing software was on their computer. Investigators also believed the number of people affected was in the hundreds – and that in all, they lost hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Each day, computer users inadvertently share hundreds of thousands of sensitive files from bank statements, medical records, tax returns and legal documents stored on their computers’ Hard Disk Drives through such file-sharing programs. Typically the vulnerabilities occur after a user downloads and installs file-sharing software and accidentally allows it to share all files on a computer, rather than just the music files.
“If you are running file-sharing software, you are giving criminals the keys to your computer”. “Criminals are getting access to incredibly valuable information” said assistant US attorney Kathryn Warma.
“We continue to be frustrated that despite our warnings and precautions, a small fraction of users override the safe default setting that comes with the program and end up inadvertently publishing information that they would prefer to keep private,” said the Head of Limewire.
Chaim Lee from Aspire Computing advises that computer users need to get assistance from Qualified and experienced technicians to check out their security flaws and provide appropriate protection.