Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Friday, 06 June 2008 12:29
Opinion and Analysis
Page 2 of 3
Senator Conroy had more to say on his new initiative: “Many people find internet security challenging and are looking for simple guidance on what they can do to stay smart online.”
“Today, I am also pleased to announce the new Stay Smart Online Alert Service with up-to-date advice on the latest e-security risks tailored for Australian internet users,” continued Conroy.
Ah! Now with a new email alert, you really can be alert and aware, but not alarmed. If only they could send out fridge magnets by email.
But on a more serious note, the email alert service, which you can register/subscribe to
here, “will provide Australians information on e-security threats and vulnerabilities and advice on how to manage them.”
I give you the link above because the “Stay Smart Alert Online Service”
page has a link where you can register for the service, but instead of taking you to the link in the previous paragraph, it takes you to the page that lists the alerts, with the actual registration button still to be clicked.
For those who aren’t 100% technically savvy and are relying on this Government web page, it really isn’t as easy to use as it should be, although it’s clear the Government has tried to do as good a job as possible, and will no doubt correct some of these errors to make things smoother and easier to use.
Already the site lists information on a Skype security bug, the fact that Windows XP SP3 could downgrade the security of the Adobe Flash Player and other bugs in earlier versions of the Adobe Flash player.
There’s also a
newsletter section, but sadly it’s completely blank at the moment, no-one in the Department of Communications bothered, it seems, to create a newsletter for launch day, as I write this article. What a shame! But that’s ok, one will come, and we have the new website itself, which is, at least, a start, to, er... staying smart, online.
Senator Conroy also has announced that his new website “will also include a new Small Business Self-assessment Tool which will help small businesses analyse their online security practices and adopt appropriate measures to improve online security.”
That self-assessment tool sounds like it would be some kind of er... "cool" Government safety assessment software, but no, the tool is but a
questionnaire that warns will take 10-15 minutes to complete.
Honestly, if you’re running a business today, and you use computers, and you know that you’re not sure about or fully understand computer security, the questionnaire will unveil only one thing: you need the help of IT professionals to properly secure the technological side of your business.
Please read on to page 3.
