13 Apr

iPad 3 Launched!!

Welcome to another instalment of Boffin ! We hope you enjoy our monthly newsletters, and please let us know if there’s anything you’d like us to focus on in upcoming editions.

 

This month we’ll revisit the Ipad3 launch, discuss a virus that is still causing havoc in the wild.

 

Well, the Apple launch of the new ipad came and went last month with less furore than expected. There were of course the obligatory few queuing outside Telstra shops but overall the launch was to be as expected.

 

Some interesting by-products though after almost a month since launch date. The 4G LTE network support that Apple was spruiking was a bit of a let down for Australia, as Apple has now admitted it won’t work on the Telstra 4G network, and are offering refunds for customers who purchased the units with this pre-requisite. Another interesting report is the overheating of the new units, with similar issues as those experienced by iPhone4 users, where the lower corner of the ipad gets too hot to touch when used in portrait mode over wifi for long periods.
So really, is the new ipad worth it ? For new ipad users who have never had an ipad before. Yes, by the new version as the improved graphics resolutions alone make it a worthwhile choice, but if you already have an ipad1 or ipad2, then we wouldn’t bother upgrading to the latest incarnation, unless you really need to be on the cutting edge..

 

Malware Trojan Infection in the Wild.

 

DNSChanger Trojan was a malicious Trojan written by a group of Estonians who are now in the process of being extradited to the US for prosecution.

 

According to FBI Statistics, the DNSChanger malware has infected approximately four million computers worldwide in over 100 countries, with over 500,000 in the US alone !

 

The malware was designed to redirect legitimate search requests to infected DNS Servers which in turn send users to malicious sites which disable anti-virus and software updates. The objective of the malware was to sell advertising ‘space’ to unsuspecting organisations and these unscrupulous individuals “manipulated the multi-billon dollar internet advertising industry” to approxiamately $14million USD, according to the FBI Statement.

 

The US Officials have gained control of these rogue DNS Servers, but plan to switch them off on July 9 2012, rendering all the people who haven’t removed the malware to basically lose internet connectivity.

 

The Australian Government has a website you can goto to check whether your machine(s) are infected with this malware.

 

Simply browse to :

 

http://dns-ok.gov.au

 

And at the top of the page it’ll tell you whether you are infected or not. If you are infected, please give us a call on 1300-ETHERTECH so we can arrange to remove the malware for you.

 

Remember that keeping your antivirus / malware scanning applications up to date is crucial to ensure data security!

 

See you all next month !