http://www.raycon.com.au/Articles about web design, online security and IT issues. http://www.raycon.com.au/http://www.raycon.com.au/g/rayconlogo.gifhttp://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=k9htycesOne simple way to increase the security of a form is to intelligently limit the string length of submitted data. The less characters allowed, the more limited are an attacker's potential array of exploits they can attempt using your form.2008-02-09T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=24ck4g7rThe Seagate FreeAgent Desktop USB 500MB drive is an awesome product, until it stops working! If Windows is reporting a USB Device Not Recognized Error there might still be a way to save your drive.2008-02-08T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=mrxjh0njOne simple way to increase the security of a form is to intelligently limit the string length of submitted data. The less characters allowed, the more limited are an attacker's potential array of exploits they can attempt using your form.2008-02-07T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=ngbx1bwxOne simple way to increase the security of a form is to intelligently limit the string length of submitted data. The less characters allowed, the more limited are an attacker's potential array of exploits they can attempt using your form.2008-02-07T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=d7pex8rdIn a case which could have far reaching consequences, if successful, the ACCC is taking action against Trading Post Australia Pty Ltd and Google.2007-07-16T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=hxcpkdg2In late May, the security blog at http://ha.ckers.org reported a vulnerability in Google desktop. The full details of this exploit are available at: http://ha.ckers.org/google-desktop-0day/ There is a text description and a video of how it works.2007-06-19T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=p0r1n4c4For those of us who have experienced it, a hard drive failure is one of those unpleasant events that can befall your PC and generally wreck your day.2007-03-27T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=4q9373xqIf you ever thought that not scanning for adware, malware and viruses was not important, the story of Julie Amero will perhaps change your mind.2007-03-06T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=q89gbyq4Windows Vista is the much vaunted latest release of the world's most popular operating system. One of its biggest features is increased security. The funny thing about security is that people are adept at finding ways to defeat security measures.2007-02-02T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=mqyjyu3uRecently, I received an email which is currently doing the rounds detailing the appearance of Idaho resident Kathy Evans on the US version of "Who wants to be a Millionaire".2007-02-02T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=0h1ke0jdA new, and currently unpatched vulnerability in Microsoft Word exposes computer users to hackers.2006-12-11T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=u65dasquSo how does VoIP stack up?2006-07-23T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=tg6xaxdaI really find it hard to believe that Robert Kiyosaki is even comfortably well off given how absurd his "investment advice" is. Then again, perhaps he does not follow his own advice?2006-07-02T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=zgmgj2bnWhilst long domain names are a great way of describing the basic service offering of a site, some company names when run together become unfortunate double entendres.2006-03-18T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=uk568qbjIn an Associated Press story from 10th February: Authorities are seeking a burglar who allegedly took the time to make coffee, cook and eat meals, take showers, pick out a change of clothes, watch television and check his e-mail while inside three rural Washington County homes.2006-02-26T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=pqkadz10As many of you would know I use a spam filtering service called Cloudmark Desktop. This anti-spam system uses a network of almost 2 million people to identify spam email messages and passes that information on to the rest of the network. In operation, whenever you see a spam message in your inbox you alert the Cloudmark network by pressing a Block button that is installed on your email reader as part of the software. This alerts the network which then blocks it for the rest of the network users.2006-02-13T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=xrkdseg0In a story reported by ClickZ on January 30th, AOL and Yahoo! will both begin charging email newsletter senders from 0.25 to 1 US cent per email to send their mailing list via Goodmail's cryptographic CertifiedEmail program and will begin phasing out its IP-based Whitelist.2006-02-12T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=02dd5c2dThe Nyxem virus reared its ugly head on Friday last week. It's known by various names including 'Nyxem' and 'Blackmal' and could delete Office and Acrobat documents from your computer.2006-02-05T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=f0600d7pThe Internet is not just about email viruses, hackers and ecommerce. It provides a powerful resource when you are looking for a solution to common household problems.2005-12-11T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=g28y603zHow Australia Post has reinvented itself to avoid being squeezed by falling letter volumes2005-11-27T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=y7ab4p40Scott Adams is the creator of the Dilbert cartoon. I would describe him as a pretty clever cat.2005-11-20T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=060dxsj2Some new monitors have some great productivity features2005-11-06T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=f7fum2ptStore service really has to be good to beat the Internet. Unfortunately, that is not always the case.2005-10-25T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=wk2uhsgkHave you ever wondered if psychic powers were real? Here is a demonstration that might change your mind. Visit this site then read the rest of the article: http://trunks.secondfoundation.org/files/psychic.swf2005-10-23T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=jt9jkdjqThe Federal Government recently unveiled its new IR reforms under the WorkChoices brandname but for all the money spent they had errors on the website.2005-10-12T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=m8md1effRecently, I have been fielding an increasing number of questions from clients about how they stop spam emails being submitted via their website contact forms. In the last week I have started receiving bunches of spam email from my own website contact form.2005-09-30T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=wkgyyp9tHave you ever visited a website and thought, "Why did they use that small typeface? I can hardly read it!"2005-09-23T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=f85p4mxpHigh tech ID cards do not increase our security2005-09-18T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=c1txh60neBay is truly a successful online business. Not only that, many people make a living running their successful online businesses solely through the eBay auction site.2005-09-11T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=r3mczd2mWhilst I was casting around for an article, I started reading a recent copy of the Windows Secrets newsletter (formerly Woody's Windows Watch and Brian's Buzz on Windows it is published twice a month and contains, amongst other things, information about the latest updates and vulnerabilities in popular software).2005-09-11T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=3yxk0exgNot to be confused with pants, Amazon Shorts are e-book versions of short works from top authors which they are offering for 49 cents (USD) each.2005-09-02T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=rwcusgpbHow irrational fear can lead us to take unnecessary risks with our lives, health and finances.2005-08-25T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=9zpr3rguFor those of you who trade regularly on the stock exchange, having a mobile source of live trading data is a valuable tool. I do a bit of derivatives trading and thought such a tool might be of benefit.2005-08-21T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=dg7a36t3Many of you, being part of, or affiliated with, large organisations, will be familiar with the concept of content-free speech. For those who are not, it is a body of text that whilst appearing to say something, actually says nothing at all.2005-08-12T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=751r0aypThose of you with children may be familiar with a piece of software called NetNanny. Its purpose is to prevent minors accessing sites with adult content. In a similar way, I think we need a piece of software called NetWealthNanny to prevent adults from accessing sites that are harmful to our money.2005-07-28T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=n7z9gb80Every so often you see a poece of software that can really make a difference to the way we interface with computers. Here is one that I found recently.2005-07-23T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=y6wbgm69They say that if you were to sit a million monkeys down at a million keyboards for a million years, then by chance, one of them might randomly type out a Shakespearian play.2005-07-17T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=0u37f1ajWhilst most people surfing the Internet use the Microsoft browser, Internet Explorer, a growing number of people use different browsers. There are a host of alternatives like, Firefox, Opera and Netscape. However, the most popular browser after the Internet Explorer family is Firefox.2005-07-15T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=t8hthzzeWith the falling cost of broadband, having a redundant broadband connection is no longer an extravagance.2005-06-27T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=d2tt36neScanit, a Belgium based security firm, offer a free test service on their website that will check your browser against a list of known vulnerabilities. After running the tests on your browser you will get a listing of your vulnerabilities. Vulnerabilities are rated high, medium and low risk.2005-06-27T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=sq8zhzzaQuicken Australia have cancelled their unpopular re-registration fee after an ACCC investigation and are offering a refund of any previous fees paid.2005-06-05T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=0uh1q8taLike him or not, Robert Kiyosaki has sold a lot of books. But is he really the investment guru he claims to be?2005-05-31T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=0qdk5z7sGood security in practice at the ASTC helps prevent identity theft2005-05-20T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=m8ntts9kBigpond have changed mail servers for their cable users from mail-hub to mail.bigpond.com but certainly didn't let me know2005-05-06T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=5sd5ffm9Microsoft MCIWNDX.OCX ActiveX Plugin Buffer Overflow responsible for another critical security issue affecting the Internet Explorer browser2005-04-30T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=64e4ccpaSome spyware makers are using their lawyers to pressure the writers of anti-adware packages to stop listing their programs for removal.2005-04-03T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=7hdp5bw5The volume of spam is increasing. As a result, mail filters have to use tighter and tighter standards to stop the flood of spam from drowning legitimate mail. The unfortunate side effect of this is that the rate of false positives increases.2005-03-31T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=zgxmft7rHave you ever wondered why your inbox is filled with junk emails? The simple answer is that sending spam email pays. Even though a vanishingly small percentage of people respond to these emails if you are sending them by the millions that may be enough. In some cases it is more than enough to keep the spammers sending the junk mail over and over whilst aggressively harvesting more email addresses.2005-03-30T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=uax2m4qwParis Hilton learned a hard security lesson when the account for her mobile telephone was recently hacked. The phone numbers of all of her friends and associates were made public knowledge, along with personal photos and emails.2005-03-07T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=trmn0t05The response to my spyware article from last week was overwhelming. Obviously, this is a major problem for PC users. Many of you asked what solution I used. I did not mention it as I thought there may be better solutions available which I could recommend after doing some research.2005-01-30T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=gpa1wt2pIn December, I had to renew the subscription for my firewall software. As part of this process I was offered the option to buy a spyware cleaning product. This is something I have always meant to do but have never made the time to. I thought that if I had a problem with spyware, it was probably minor and not worth worrying much about.2005-01-23T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=fzg48gdpIf you have a website, be aware of what offers you are promoting. Thoroughly read email enquiries before asking the customer further questions. Websites who manage to do this convey professionalism and give customers a feeling of confidence. After all, your email performance is replacing a face to face or telephone conversation.2004-12-15T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=xepbcd61If you do not use Internet Explorer as your web browser, chances are that you use Firefox. Firefox is the free web browser developed by the open source community. These people contribute their time at no cost to develop software which in many cases rivals the commercial software of major corporations.2004-11-28T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=67525s79The dot-bomb, the tech wreck, call it what you will, it is over.2004-10-22T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=wb7y1u98Late in November 2003, I installed Cloudmark SpamNet anti spam software. I promised I would report on how well it did the job. Here are the results after almost 11 months of use.2004-10-15T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=qeswxae8What is it about zombies at the moment? We have a series of zombie movies being released like "Shaun of the Dead", "Resident Evil: Apocalypse" and others. We even have millions of zombies attacking our computer networks.2004-10-08T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=tkr84ccrF'd Company is a book written by Philip J. Kaplan about his website f@#$edcompany.com I can't spell it literally without triggering your content filters. The site was built as a joke in May 2000 to gather news of dot-com failures. What Philip aka Pud didn't expect was that the site would become an instant success and a highly ranked source of information on failing tech stocks.2004-09-03T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=q4s3m7hyJust as we think we are starting to get a handle on PC security through antivirus software, firewalls, spam filters, password protocols etc, along comes phone hacking.2004-08-28T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=h069bby2Microsoft is currently in the midst of a staged release of Service Pack 2 for Windows XP. This is a major update to the Windows XP operating system designed to address many critical security issues and vulnerabilities. One of the big features of this upgrade is vastly improved firewall protection which will default to being on. As some of you know, firewalls can cause problems and conflicts with some of your software.2004-08-21T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=sn39k7t1Over the past year our IT audits have found an alarming number of businesses are missing appropriate licensing documentation for the software on their computers. This leaves them vulnerable to prosecution for Software Piracy.2004-07-31T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=ywxyjb5aExactly two years ago we published a case study about a text-only e-newsletter created by three Aussie financial consultants. "Pitch-perfect writing, an easy-to-read format, plus some extras" was how we described All Things Considered. The e-newsletter was created to support the company's fledgling consultancy. It was a weekly text email sent out by hand to prospects and clients. The company didn't even have a Web site at the time. Two years later, AllThingsConsidered.biz is a streamlined, successful Web-based business selling customized newsletters and content to an eager audience of financial planners. We spoke to Sydney-based co-founder Tony Negline to find out how they did it.2004-07-23T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=ra9k6smfFew of us would dispute the statement I make in the title of this article. Yet some people who should know better just do not get it.2004-07-16T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=wbutcy8cLate on the 24th of June the activities of a new trojan were discovered on the Internet. Security experts have variously labelled the malicious program Scob, Download.Ject, Toofer or Webber.P.2004-06-28T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=g6b817naWe recently finished a website programming job for a client. We did not get the site HTML design work as another cheaper quote was accepted. As the job progressed, we were able to clearly point out why our price was dearer and where the extra value was and why the client will end up paying a lot more than what was saved by using the "cheaper" price.2004-06-26T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=c0whswhxLike me, I am sure you have re-used work done previously to satisfy a current client requirement. We do it because it saves us time. Of course, we are aware of the increased checking required to ensure we have not left any references to the original client or purpose of the work and the embarrassment that ensues if we miss any.2004-06-21T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=qcbkudanLast weekend our website, Raycon.com.au was amongst the victims of a pump and dump spam campaign by persons unknown.2004-05-26T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=aisdhf9a7Those of us who use Microsoft Word would be familiar with the collaboration tools for things such as tracking changes in a document. These tools are great for producing a large document where a group of people need to review any changes made to it.2004-05-16T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=ac0384cfaThe Internet's dominant search engine has filed its long awaited IPO with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.2004-05-09T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=aosejiro89You have only seven days to go before the Spam Bill becomes law in this country. Here is a brief summary of the points to look out for.2004-04-04T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=idekxmpIn the last few months, we have run several articles about identity theft. This is an issue of increasing importance. Just this week, Senator the Hon. Christopher Ellison launched a new information kit to help Australians strike back at identity thieves.2004-02-15T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=ajw839lThe My Doom virus is said to have been the most prolifically emailed virus ever. We can certainly attest to that. In the last few weeks we have received 10 times as many My Doom (and its variant Novarg A) virus infected emails as we have all other viruses in the previous five months!2004-02-08T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=ythgnb94Microsoft has announced that it will stop supporting Windows 98. This means that millions of users will soon be left exposed as hackers discover and exploit vulnerabilities in these products.2004-02-01T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=zprk3k5The faceless nature of electronic transactions means that identity theft is a very easy way to commit fraud and theft. Here is a list of rules I use to protect my own electronic identity. These techniques for protecting your identity should become as habitual as looking both left and right before crossing the road. Following these rules is not a guarantee that your privacy will be compromised however it will certainly reduce your risk.2004-01-26T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=hvl485fawAs the volume of spam increases IT Managers use an increasing array of tools to reduce the volume of unwanted messages entering their corporate mailservers. For those of us who send legitimate emails, the instance of emails not being delivered for various reasons is increasing. Read this article to find out why and what you can do to ensure your messages get through.2003-11-22T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=lah75awgJakob Nielsen is one of the world's most respected experts on website usability. When he publishes a list of design tips or design blunders we study it. After all, a man who is paid US$10,000 to do a critique of a homepage is probably worth listening to!2003-11-16T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=prokmek8Have you ever listened to a speaker who uses so many acronyms and industry buzzwords you have no idea what he is talking about? If so you will enjoy this article.2003-11-01T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=cando78xWhilst it is impossible to acheive a 10 out of 10 security rating you should aim to get 8 or 9 out of 10. Sadly, many of the companies we audit score about 2 or 3 out of 10 which is a very risky way to do business.2003-10-26T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=0okne6gkThis week our special edition covered the poor security of client data by a company providing email list management services. This story generated some very interesting responses especially about the issues we raised of possible identity theft.2003-09-28T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=028mv0a04Regularly, we read about companies who don't protect their client database and find out that it has been vulnerable to entry from hackers. It never seems to happen to us, it is always The New York Times or some other remote operation. In the last week I learned of a threat that happened to me.2003-09-23T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=sprmtf23Thursday, 18 September 2003 saw the introduction of the Spam Bill 2003 into the Australian House of Representatives. Should it pass in its current form, this act will become law 120 days after receiving royal assent. So by early 2004 it could be illegal to send someone an unsolicted commercial email.2003-09-21T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=vuidfu34Whilst it is sometimes difficult to tell there the good value ends and the rip-off begins this article looks at two cases which are fairly clear. Unfortunately, for both of these clients, they were told stories which were, at best, grossly ill-informed, and at worst, blatant lies, to justify the exorbitant fees and charges.2003-08-31T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=muxo39knWith the level of knowledge every large company has about the importance of good customer service, I am amazed at the breadth of the spectrum of customer service experiences we receive. In the last few weeks I have encountered both ends of this spectrum.2003-08-24T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=ah98reqdThe Internet is a rapidly evolving environment, however, there are standards of design, accessibility and operability of websites set by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). Whilst these recommendations are not binding, there are many reasons why they should be a part of how your business does business online.2003-06-22T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=ijnedc39We have all received one, the emails from Nigeria or Ghana or Cote D'Ivoire from Escober Tony Sankoh or Chief Bernard Orji or Mr. Ali Mustafa promising us a share of a fabulous amount of loot arising from swindling a corrupt government or the death of a diamond mine owner or foreign business magnate.2003-03-20T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=alknw9f1In the first part of this article I described how the typical 419 scam is set up and how it operates as well as the financial cost of these scams. Now I will continue by looking at the non-monetary cost of this racket and what you can do to fight back!2003-03-20T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=vunf23xcMost of us deal with a large number of email communications each day. Increasingly, we are forced to deal with junk, bulk or spam email. Here are three simple rules to help keep your email address off junk mailing lists.2003-03-08T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=sk3mfcopWe would never intentionally portray ourselves as clueless, rude or uneducated. Unfortunately, through a lack of knowledge about acceptable online behaviour, some of us are guilty of just that!2002-12-04T10:00:00Z http://www.raycon.com.au/articles.php?n=ak39dnefHave you ever wondered why we prefer reading a printed document to one on a computer screen? This article explores some of the reasons why and their consequences for online reports and email communications.2002-12-01T10:00:00Z