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OverviewWelcome to the West Australian Networks News and Press Information
Section. Contents:
Current Press ReleasesNov 07, 2005
Government Acts with West Australian Networks to Zap Zombies "Zombies are computers compromised by hackers and then controlled remotely to send spam, collect personal information and launch denial of service attacks," Senator Coonan said. "The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) and West Australian Networks have joined forces to pilot a system to identify zombie computers, notify the unfortunate owners and help them take appropriate action quickly. "Computer owners are often unaware that their computers are being controlled by others and used for malicious purposes," the Minister said. More concerning is that these Zombies can then be 'collected' in their thousands by hackers to form 'botnets' - which can then be used to launch large scale attacks or release huge amounts of spam. "The risks from zombie computers and botnets was highlighted by the arrest in the US last week of a hacker who had assembled a network of up to 400,000 computers which was then on sold to hackers and spammers," Senator Coonan said. "Computer owners who do not install and keep up-to-date anti-virus software and firewalls run the risk of personal loss or their computers being used unwittingly by hackers for attacks on other people and organisations." The Government has a number of publications that provide advice on internet
security, Internet Security Essential for Small Business www.dcita.gov.au/ie/e-security,
and advice about securing their computers from spyware Taking Care of Spyware
www.dcita.gov.au/ie/spyware Particular articles of interest are located at http://helpdesk.westnet.net.au/kb.cgi?category=5&lang=en The West Australian Networks press release can be downloaded by clicking on the following links word format or pdf format. Media contact:
Nov 02, 2005 ADSL 2+ announced The second quarter of 2006 is set to be a big one for West Australian Networks with the official launch of ADSL2+ services (both business & domestic). Pilot trials are currently underway to ensure the products perform up to West Australian Networks stringent quality and performance bench marks. Something sadly lacking with current offerings from opposition ISP's. West Australian Networks expects an average Realistic Expected
Speed to be in line with their 80% rule. Current offers from other ISP's being
tested are returning a very poor 8%. In our ever shrinking global village SPEED IS EVERYTHING, in 2006 West Australian Networks will deliver a new ADSL 2+ service that DELIVERS and doesn't merely pretend. West Australian Networks - Good reliable secure and very very fast, it is that simple
Press Release Archive May 11, 2005 West Australian Networks announce Due to the increased spam & virus activity (3 major worms in as many weeks), and the growing number of spammers and hackers making use of virus / trojan infected machines or Zombies (normally ADSL / broadband clients) to attack others including ourselves, we have rebuilt our mail services to include full spam and anti virus scanning. This was phase two of the upgrade (phase one being the blocking of potentially dangerous or offensive messages, and blocking of all non authorised SMTP or outgoing traffic on port 25). All mail destined to clients subscribed to this PureMessage service is scanned with the latest virus & spam definitions available, (auto updated continuously), to ensure no clients of ours receive virus infected or spam messages. If an e-mail sent to you is detected as containing a virus it will be deleted prior to delivery. If the message is detected as spam, it is quarantined. A digest message is then sent to you each day with a list of the held messages. The digest gives you an option to release the message/s if you wish. Should anyone clients subscribed to PureMessage receive any messages containing a virus please contact support immediately on (08) 62679130 or national 1300 365 678 More information can be found on the web site at:
Dec 5, 2004 West Australian Networks first full VOIP only business client makes historic first IP call. The development and testing is over, full commercial VOIP services commenced today for West Australian Networks with the first calls made and received by clients on their Cisco powered Voice Over Internet Protocol network. Over twelve months of testing and even longer on development has resulted in one of the industries highest quality and most stable VOIP networks. With pricing on average more than 30% cheaper than traditional phone carriers West Australian Networks is leading the way on low cost high quality voice communications. For more information e-mail voip@westnet.net.au
Nov 5, 2004 *Hollywood 'goes after' online file swappers* Hollywood studios have expanded their legal assault on online film piracy, announcing they will "go after" anyone who illegally downloads movies from the Internet. This is also a breach of our AUP. The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) announced its member studios will this month follow the music industry's suit and begin filing copyright infringement lawsuits against people who trade pirated films on the Internet. The new crackdown will target any person who trades illegally copied cinema products on file-swapping networks, as well as the pirates themselves. Dan Glickman, the new president of the MPAA, says "illegal movie trafficking represents the greatest threat to the economic basis of movie-making in its 110-year history". "People who have been stealing our movies believe they are anonymous on the Internet and wouldn't be held responsible for their actions," Mr Glickman said. "They are wrong. We know who they are and we will go after them, as these suits will prove." Officials say the expanded targeting of individual file swappers could generate hundreds of lawsuits a month. Damages, injunctions Studios will file lawsuits against individual file swappers across the United States starting on November 16 2004, seeking damages and injunctions against suspected offenders. Under the US Copyright Act, statutory damages can amount to as much as $US39,000 for each movie illegally copied or distributed over the Internet, and as much as $US198,000 per film if the infringements are deemed to be wilful. "Filing suit against movie thieves is our latest step in a wide-ranging, multi-pronged anti-piracy effort but far from our first," Mr Glickman said. "But file-swapping is a viral threat that we must bring under control now. "File traders must realise that bad things happen when you steal copyrighted material. These lawsuits are just one of those bad things." The latest move comes as the industry battles to balance the huge money-making potential of new technology with the danger it poses to the industry's survival. Major record labels began suing individual users of file-sharing networks in September 2003 over music downloads. That barrage of suits followed a ruling by a judge in Los Angeles under which two popular networks were found not to be liable for the conduct of their users. The MPAA cited a new US Government report that indicates that counterfeit goods, including pirated movies, cost the US economy up to $US330 billion a year. The group, which represents the seven major Tinseltown film studios, estimates that hard copies of pirated movies cost the industry about $US4.6 billion annually. That figure does not take into account the losses from hundreds of thousands of illegal Internet downloads swapped each day. "We all know that digital distribution is the wave of the future and the studios have all supported legal download services in various ways," Mr Glickman said. "But we cannot allow illegal trafficking to derail legitimate new technologies that provide consumers with affordable, convenient access to high-quality movies on the web. "Trading a digital file of a movie online without paying its owners is no different than walking into a store and shoplifting a DVD." The MPAA defends the movie studios' interests in Washington and in courts around the world.
May 17, 2004 The SPAM ACT The Australian Government's anti-spam legislation received Royal Assent on the 12th of December 2003 and came into effect on the 10th of April 2004. This legislation will target spammers and the techniques they use to send Australian consumers unsolicited and offensive electronic mail, while protecting the right to free speech. It will also play an important role in the Government's multi-layered approach to the global nuisance of spam. For those of you who engage in email marketing, there are now some strict steps to follow. We encourage you to review your practices to ensure that you comply with the Spam Act. For most, this will mean reviewing your email communication in the form of marketing, service and newsletters. Always provide an opt out facility and make it a practice to obtain consent from your clients and prospects early in the relationship. Do not use email as a marketing tool except to existing customers or where consent of the recipient can be inferred. If you have previously included an opt out message and the recipient has not opted out, then consent can be inferred and you can continue to send email to the recipient. The guidelines are not complex but I do encourage you to read them carefully, especially in the area of inferred consent. Essentially, there are three steps that you should follow: 1. Consent Note: It is possible to infer consent based on a business or other relationship
with the person, and their conduct. Consent may be inferred when the person
you wish to contact has not directly instructed you to send them a message,
but it is still clear that there is a reasonable expectation that messages will
be sent.
Feb 7, 2004 IF YOU DOWNLOAD MUSIC AND OR MOVIES BE WARNED Record industry enforcer raids Kazaa offices Yesterday, Music Industry Privacy Investigations obtained court orders allowing its investigators to obtain documents and other electronic records about Kazaa's activities in Australia. Twelve premises were raided in three states this morning. The premises of Brilliant Digital Entertainment and those of three universities - the University of Queensland, the University of New South Wales and Monash University - were among those raided. Among other premises raided were those of Akamai Technologies AAP, NTT Australia, Telstra Corporation and NTT Australia IP. MIPI said proceedings had begun in the Federal Court after a six-month investigation. MIPI said evidence had been obtained during the raids which would be used in the court proceedings. Court action commenced in Sydney as Kazaa operates from offices in the suburb of Cremorne even though it is registered in the Pacific island of Vanuatu. MIPI general manager Michael Speck said the action had been taken "to stop the illegal use of music through use of the Kazaa network." "Kazaa has built a large international business through encouraging and authorising the illegal copying of music users of its network. It authorises this copying without seeking the licence or permission of the owners and creators of the music, nor does it pay any royalties to either the owners or creators of the music," he said. The matter will return to court on Tuesday. Sharman Networks described the actions as "a knee-jerk reaction by the recording industry to discredit Sharman Networks and the Kazaa software, following a number of recent court decisions around the world that have ruled against the entertainment industry's agenda to stamp out peer-to-peer technology." "There is no doubt this is a cynical attempt by the industry to disrupt our business, regain lost momentum, and garner publicity. The assertions by plaintiffs are hackneyed and worn out. It is a gross misrepresentation of Sharman's business to suggest that the company in any way facilitates or encourages copyright infringement." "Sharman bought the Kazaa software two years ago with the express purpose of building it into a legitimate channel for the distribution of licensed, copyright protected content which in turn financially benefits artists. This model has already proven to be successful." MIPI is established and funded by record companies and music publishers and
acts as an anti-piracy arm for these organisations. It is affiliated with the
Australian Record Industry Association.
Feb 2, 2004 Net Law Roundup #33 There is a saying that on the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog. Phishing occurs when you receive an email apparently from your bank (or occasionally a Web business such as eBay) asking you to re-enter your account or credit card details into their Web site. In fact, although it may appear that the email and Web site are legitimate, they are a fraud, and when you re-enter your details, they will be used to steal your funds. If you fall victim to phishing, you are unlikely to have any recourse against the bank, since it is entirely innocent of the fraud. Given that the scam artists themselves are likely to be based in Russia or China, all that you can do is to report the fraud to the police and to the bank and to hope that they will be able to recover your funds for you. So far, Australian victims have not had any such luck. A similar scam is known as slamming. If you have a registered Internet domain name, you have probably been the intended victim of domain name slamming. It occurs when an unscrupulous domain name registrar or reseller sends the registrant of a domain name an unsolicited letter that appears to be a legitimate domain name renewal notice. In fact, the letter is not what it appears to be: by signing and returning it you may be transferring your domain name to a different registrar, or you may be accepting an offer to register a new domain name similar to your existing domain name or business name but typically at an inflated price. A group of companies that has been involved in slamming in Australia has twice been the subject of legal proceedings in the Federal Court by auDA, the organisation that administers domain names in Australia. The latest proceedings allow members of the public who have been deceived by this practice to join a class action of victims seeking a refund or compensation from the company. In both cases, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Don't assume
that an email or letter that appears to be legitimate really is. Want your question answered in this column? Email it to ilaw@ilaw.com.au, or visit http://www.ilaw.com.au.
Dec 23, 2003 Net Law Roundup #32 Although it will probably be remembered as the year of the war in Iraq, 2003
was also the year of the blog, Web publishing for the masses. Of course, the
two events are not unrelated, because it was largely through online writings
about the war from Iraqis, soldiers, and concerned citizens, that the Web log
or blog came to prominence after There are some interesting legal issues tied up in the publication of a blog.
For example, a Chinese blogger Zhang Shengqi was arrested late in the year for
publishing supposed state secrets in his blog. It is easy to think of the Internet
as a nation all its own, but in fact local laws do apply to those who publish
to the Internet, and this The most important issues that you have to consider when publishing a blog in Australia include these: * Does what you are writing have the potential to injure another person's reputation in the community? If so, be very careful because you could be defaming them, and exposing yourself to liability to pay damages which could run to tens of thousands of dollars. * Do you have the rights to use any material that you have borrowed from other sources? Although brief quotations are generally OK, you should ask permission before reproducing what other people have written, or graphics or music that they have created. Disclosing information that you have been told in confidence can also land you in trouble. * Is the content you are publishing unsuitable for a general audience? It it were to be rated R if it were a film, you are not allowed to put it on the Web without an age verification system; if it would be rated X or refused classification, you are not allowed to publish it in Australia at all. By keeping these issues in mind, you can achieve your fifteen minutes of fame in your blog, without needing to sweat about ending up in court. So, stay safe and happy blogging. Want your question answered in this column? Email it to ilaw@ilaw.com.au,
or visit http://www.ilaw.com.au.
Sept 26, 2003 Net Law Roundup #29 Access to broadband Internet is transforming the way we work, play and collaborate
online. But there is a real "information divide" between those who
do and those who don't have access to broadband services. Telstra does have an obligation to provide every household in Australia on request with a digital data service. However, this is only required to be at the speed of 64 kilobits per second, which although faster than an ordinary analogue modem, is slower than ADSL, and can also be more expensive. Usually, this minimum obligation is fulfilled by supplying an ISDN service or, in remote areas, a satellite connection (for which a 50% rebate of installation costs may be available). Without paying for one of these services, the only legal right that you have is to an ordinary telephone service, which is only required to support a communications speed well under half the capacity of a 56k modem. Clearly, except for those in remote areas of Australia, there are far better options available from a variety of providers to deliver true broadband access at fair prices. Unfortunately, if your connection to the telephone network won't support faster services such as ADSL, either due to your remoteness or due to technical issues with your telephone line, you don't presently have a legal right to do anything about it. The only way this is likely to change is if people on that side of the information divide can convince their political representatives to do something about it. Want your question answered in this column? Email it to ilaw@ilaw.com.au, or visit http://www.ilaw.com.au
Aug 27, 2003 Banking Scams Fraudulent e-mails have been sent to random e-mail addresses in the hope that they will find National, Westpac, Commonwealth or St George customers. The e-mail stated that the relevant bank was introducing a new security system and asked that you log onto the banks Internet Banking to reactivate your account. This illegitimate e-mail may have looked similar to this (Westpac used as example only):
- Our new security system will help you to avoid frequently fraud transactions
and to keep your investments in safety. To log into your account, please visit the NetBank web site at olb.westpac.com.au If you have questions about your online statement, please send us a Bank Mail or call us at 1-888-BKONWEB (256-6932). We appreciate your business. It's truly our pleasure to serve you. Westpac Customer Care Westpac approaches all matters regarding the security of your personal information with the utmost importance. Never provide personal or security related details, including your 8 digit customer ID or your password in response to an e-mail, even if it appears to have originated from Westpac. No customer e-mail addresses have been obtained from Westpac. Follow these instructions to protect your online dealings with us. 1. Do not go to your banks Internet Banking sign in page from a link in an email as they can be easily modified. 2. Always log in directly from your browser. This way you will avoid being sent to a false site. 3. Check for a locked padlock symbol at the bottom right corner of your browser * See note below 4. Add your bank Internet Banking sign in page to your list of favourite internet sites that you visit regularly. If you have any concerns, please contact the helpdesk. There is also more scam information at the bottom of the page, see January 1, 2003. *Interestingly we were looking that the similar St. George email and website yesterday, in the brief period before the site was taken down. The URL (or link) in the email takes you to a page, which does two things: redirects you to the genuine st. george site... and simultaneously opens a new window, without address bar, which has the fake login screen. This site did have an SSL certificate, and did have the "padlock indicating a secure session."... so.. If you're checking the address bar of the main window, and checking for a padlock in the popup login window.. sorry, you've just lost all your money. BE CAREFUL, if in doubt contact the help desk.
March 6, 2003 Music piracy / copying or sharing Here is a heads up to any of our clients considering or involved in Music piracy / copying or sharing, take note of the following the article. ISPs raided in MP3 probe Warrants were also executed at several other un-named internet service providers,
with more warrants possible as the investigation continues. According to sources, the wholesale value of the allegedly pirated music may be as high as $60 million - making it one of Australia's largest copyright infringement investigations. A police spokeswoman confirmed that officers, accompanied by computer forensics experts, visited a Telstra facility in Melbourne and The Perth ISP's offices, as part of ongoing investigations. Search warrants were also executed at several other ISPs, which she declined to name. She said the execution of these warrants was part of "related investigations". The Australian understands that the investigations are at an early stage, and that more ISPs may yet be searched. The chief executive of the Perth ISP's parent company, said the company had co-operated with police, and had provided information relating to a subscriber. The ISP had also closed the subscriber's website. "We are a large ISP, and we get police in frequently with warrants asking for information relating to the activities of particular subscribers," he said. A Telstra spokesman confirmed a police search had been undertaken, but said "these things happen all the time".The Perth ISP has about 50,000 subscribers. Telstra has about 1.4 million. The investigation comes as the music industry lines up against alleged pirates at some of Australia's top universities. In an unrelated matter, music labels Sony, EMI and Universal have taken the University of Sydney, the University of Tasmania and the University of Melbourne to the Federal Court in an effort to secure information about alleged piracy. The three universities have agreed to preserve possible evidence, but they're expected to fight any attempt to get them to hand this over when the case resumes later this month. Overseas, the recording industry is suing Australian-run file-sharing network
Kazaa, which allows users to swap music files stored on their personal computers.
January 17, 2003
January 3, 2003 Full National Coverage Did you know West Australian Networks now offers Internet Access (including
broadband) all over Australia and Tasmania? Well we do, your account can now
be used anywhere in Oz. Local call access from anywhere and everywhere, you
can have roaming access while your on holidays, business trips etc. never be
out of touch with the family again. If you are in the great Australian bush
and are not happy with your local provider, or, worse still do not have a local
provider, we can connect you in less than 10mins on the phone where ever you
are.
Have you ever received a phone bill that was twice as high - or more - than what you expected? It doesn't necessarily mean that someone around the house has been making late-night 1900 calls! For many Internet users, particularly in rural and regional areas, it can mean that something has gone awry with billing on the telephone line they use for the Internet. There are a variety of causes of this sort of unpleasant surprise, such as unknowingly making calls outside the local call zone, being time-charged for your calls if you use an ISDN modem to connect, and downloading software that tricks you into reconnecting your modem to the Internet using an international phone number (this scam is often found on adult Web sites). Many of these problems - such as dialing out of the local call zone - are generally the user's own responsibility, and it is unlikely that any remedy can be obtained from their phone company or ISP. But other phone bill disputes often do turn out to be the phone company's problem, and if you cannot figure out what is wrong with your telephone bill it is worth at least investigating this possibility. Telecommunications companies are required to comply with a number of codes of conduct approved by the Australian Communications Authority (the ACA). Some of these codes have been developed by the telecommunications industry rather than by the ACA and compliance with these is voluntary, however the ACA can direct the phone company to comply with these codes if it does not do so voluntarily. Among the codes to be found on the ACA's Web site If you make a complaint to your phone company which is not resolved to your
satisfaction within 30 days, and if you are confident that the terms of service
you have agreed with the phone company or the ACA codes of conduct are on your
side, you can make a complaint to the Telecommunications Industry Telecommunications
Industry Ombudsman (TIO). The TIO will help you to resolve the complaint
at no charge to you. --
January 1, 2003 Online Scams This is a constant source of questions to our help desk and so we have decided to commence publishing a regular article we receive from a great friend of ours Jeremy Malcolm.Net Law Roundup #13 by Jeremy Malcolm, Internet lawyer A decade ago, the Internet was described by science fiction writer Bruce Sterling as "a true, modern, functional anarchy". Since then, we have discovered that, although the anarchy of the Internet may give us more freedom than we have in the real world, it also gives us less protection against the antisocial elements of our online society. This has been one of the motivators behind increased regulation of the Internet that many national governments, including Australia's, have undertaken in the last few years. As a result, although you can still easily get caught by online scams, there are things you can do to protect yourself, and some places to turn when things go wrong. Classic examples of on-line scams include: * the "advance fee" or "Nigerian" fraud, in which you are
invited to * auctions that never deliver or deliver sub-standard goods, and * work-at-home schemes, that either require you to buy an expensive * unlicensed share or investment offers that promise huge returns * offers of miracle health cures that may be illegal or dangerous, In Australia, you can report on-line financial scams such as share offers and investment schemes to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), and other scams to your local Department of Consumer Protection or equivalent body. You can also protect yourself by only dealing with well-recognised and Want your question answered in this column? Email it to ilaw@ilaw.com.au, or visit http://www.ilaw.com.au. --
November 14, 2001 Ho hum. It seems like a slight variation on the old theme. Internet Registrations
Australia are sending out letters to .com.au domain holders again.
This time, they offer to list the domain name in a registry businesses.com.au.
Fine and lovely, except if you look at the box they are
actually asking you to check, it says I can't help but suggest you list your domain with an ISP, and leave
the management to an ISP. As Internet Service Providers we are professionals,
we know what we are doing. DO NOT REGISTER DOMAINS WITH A REGISTRY, PHONE BOOK
COMPANY OR FLY BY NIGHTERS, you will finish up paying more. We will provide
free, common sense advise to anyone who wants it, simply e-mail webmaster@westnet.net.au
or call us +61 8 62679130
September 10, 2001 Is your PC or Network on the blink? Got a virus? Looking for someone reliable to sort it out or maintain it for you?Someone who is reachable when you need them? Then why not call our support line, Yes if it's a computer (mobile phone / palm top / LapTop / Desktop anything top...) we do support it. Just drop us a line or give us a call on 62679130 for a quote. We also supply hardware and software at very competitive rates.
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