News from Microsoft Ireland: Security

Back to School: Simple Guidelines to Ensure that Children Stay Safe Online

Mon, 01 Sep 2008 06:47:25 GMT

Dublin: September 1st 2008 - As the children go back to school, many parents will be considering investing in a computer for their children to use so they can access online educational resources and use word processing and graphics software to produce their homework and coursework. Dr. Kevin Marshall, Education Director, Microsoft Ireland, is advising parents and guardians to take their time when choosing a computer and to educate themselves on internet safety.

Speaking today, Dr. Marshall said: “There is no doubt that being technically literate and aware gives your child a head start, not just in school but also in preparation for life. Unlike practically everything else, where prices typically go up year after year, technology becomes more affordable as time passes.”

“The internet is a wonderful educational tool and children’s use of the web is increasing every day. Although this gives them huge advantages, we need to recognize that certain basic things need to be done in order to ensure the safety of our children when online. As a parent myself I am very aware of the risks of giving my children access to the internet. I would recommend parents today take heed of some simple guidelines will ensure that your children maximise the benefits of the internet while avoiding any potential issues.”

Microsoft is recommending that parents and guardians familiarize themselves with the simple guidelines outlined below and to put them into action in order to enhance the overall experience of children online.

Talk about potential dangers and your concerns with your children
Get your children to talk to you about what they do on the internet
Encourage them to talk about anything "uncomfortable" they find
Check the history section of your web browser for suitability of sites and chat rooms
Only set up the computer in a public area of the home where you can monitor your children’s activities
Set rules about when the internet can be accessed and for how long
Make a rule that they can never give personal information without permission
Make your children agree that they never agree to meet an on-line friend without permission
Check e-mails (especially for younger children)
Check phone bills

Many new PCs, such as those running Windows Vista included built-in parental controls which enable parents to manage children’s use of the computer from the times they are allowed online to the types of site they can visit.

Microsoft has also launched a new back to school web site which provides parents and students with resources to make the most of their computers during the school year. The web site can be found at: http://www.microsoft.com/ireland/backtoschool/

If you encounter any suspected illegal content on the internet you can report it confidentially by logging on to www.hotline.ie. Other forms of illegal content and activities may also be reported using this service.

Parents Seminar on Social Networking - February 22nd 2008

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 12:31:09 GMT

Dublin: February 15th 2008 - As part of the makeITsecure campaign there is a seminar planned next Friday, February 22nd 2008 to provide parents with an understanding of social networking and how to ensure your children remain safe.

The seminar, which will be moderated by Audrey Conlon, chair of the Internet Advisory Board, will feature Dr. Rachel O'Connell, chief safety officer, Bebo and John Carr, an international expert on social networking.

ARE YOUR CHILDREN ON SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES?

How do you monitor and protect your kids?

What:

Dr Rachel O’Connell, Chief Safety Officer, Bebo and John Carr, International Internet Consultant on Child Safety to address seminar on social networking

Where:

Conrad Hotel, Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin 2

When:

Friday 22^nd, February, 8.30 am to 10.00 am

About the seminar:

You are invited to a unique seminar on Friday 22^nd February, hosted by the makeITsecure campaign, aimed at parents of children who are engaged in social networking. The seminar will feature John Carr, an international expert on social networking and advisor to the UK government and Dr Rachel O’Connell, Chief Safety Officer, Bebo.

Audrey Conlon, Chair of the Internet Advisory Board, the Government body which is concerned with child safety online, will facilitate the session. The panel will also feature a young, typical user of social networking sites. There will also be an opportunity to talk to young people who are using social networking sites on a daily basis who will show you how the sites work, how your children are engaging with them. The seminar will show you how to ensure that your children stay safe, while enjoying the benefits that social networking brings.

Social Networking is hugely popular with websites such as Bebo, Facebook, My Space and Irish site, Nimble attracting hundreds of thousands of Irish ‘hits’ every day. However, research conducted by the Irish and Northern Irish governments, under the auspices of the makeITsecure Campaign, show that a worryingly large number of parents are not familiar with these sites and more seriously, do not monitor their children’s use of them.

The security threats posed by social networking have been adopted as a theme for the makeITsecure campaign, a unique private / public sector cross-boarder consortium, led by Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources in the south and the Department of Finance and Personnel in the North, supported by 02, 3, Vodafone, Microsoft, Symantec, BT, eircom, Internet Advisory Board and NCTE. The campaign is being run from Monday 11^th February to Friday 22^nd February – it also addresses id theft, phishing and educating users on protecting their computers.

To register for this unique and valuable seminar, please email Barbara@q4pr.ie or call 01 475 1444. Registration is essential as there are a limited number of places available.

Harland & Wolff At The ‘Forefront’ Of It Security

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 12:38:54 GMT

Famous ship builder implements the latest security technology – Microsoft Forefront

Belfast: February 11th 2008 - Harland and Wolff, the famous Belfast based ship building manufacturer, has become the first organisation in Northern Ireland to deploy the latest Microsoft IT security software ‘Microsoft Forefront Client Security’. Based on up to the minute technology, this new and cost effective security management programme delivers a range of benefits to over 250 users worldwide.

Most famous for building RMS Titanic and Olympic, Harland and Wolff is now focused on the design and structural engineering of large offshore construction projects. With IT security such a vital component of this new project work, Microsoft Forefront Client Security has allowed the company to protect proprietary design and engineering strength in what is a highly competitive market.

And as Robert McIlwaine, Group IT Executive with Harland and Wolff explains protecting company information was high on the agenda when it came to implementing the new security platform. “The company regularly employs contract staff, in addition to this, many full-time staff are increasingly having to travel overseas to work on client projects. This posed unacceptable risk, our files contain valuable information, in some cases over 30 years of knowledge, coupled with the unpredictable and uncontrollable nature of external networks made security a real headache for our IT administrators.”

McIlwaine continued, “Microsoft Forefront has dramatically improved our overall IT operation – system vulnerabilities and configuration issues are now easier to detect and resolve, and as Forefront is compatible with our existing software, we didn’t have to spend time re-training staff as they were familiar with the technologies already in place. All in all I am delighted with the way in which ‘Forefront’ has been implemented. We now have a robust and reliable security platform in place that more than adequately meets the ever demanding needs of our business.”

For Microsoft, ‘Forefront’ represents the next generation in IT infrastructure security, and as Peter Russell Northern Ireland Regional Manger with Microsoft explains, it is returning real-time client benefits, “Put simply ‘Forefront’ provides increased protection, simplifies the management resource, improves the reporting of system issues, fully integrates with existing IT systems and is capable of automated administration. And for Harland and Wolff, this has meant IT administrators can more easily monitor networks and proactively manage system needs.”

Belfast based IT specialist and Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, BSS provided the day-to-day management and on-site support for the project and as Michael Wright, Director with BSS explains working directly with Harland & Wolff allowed for a more client focused approach to be adopted. “Being on the ground allowed us to proactively manage the installation and to quickly fix any issue that arose. Now fully implemented I am confident that the ‘Forefront’ software will aid Harland & Wolff in making its systems more secure.”

Reports Finds Attacks on Irish Computer Users are on the Increase

Fri, 08 Feb 2008 10:00:36 GMT

Over 160,000 malware detections in the first half of 2007

Dublin: February 8th 2008 – The latest research report from the Microsoft Malware Protection Centre, part of the company’s European Development Centre (EDC) in Dublin, found that there has been a significant increase in attacks on Irish computers in the first six months of 2007. The report found that Windows Defender detected 166,522 incidents of malware on Irish computers during that time, a 44% increase over the previous six months (July-December 2006).

The Microsoft Security Intelligence Report predicts that 2008 will see an increase in e-mail and instant messaging-related fraud as well as electronic greeting card scams. It’s also expected that criminals will try and capitalize on major events such as this year’s Olympics and the US Presidential Election. In global terms, e-mail and instant messaging fraud increased by 27% and 37% respectively in the first half of 2007 with predictions of a continued increase in 2008.

One of the biggest growth areas for online threats is Electronic Greeting Card Scams, which already account for close to one in a dozen of infected e-mail messages. These are online cards sent via e-mail, which typically have a subject line such as "You've received a greeting from a family member." When you click the subject line, malicious software may be installed on your computer.”

The other area that will see an increase is social engineering attacks, where techniques are used to manipulate people into performing actions or divulging confidential information. These frequently involve e-mails that direct consumers to verify credit card or tax refunds through a phone number. The phone number turns out to be a computerised phone answering system that collects the information provided to use for fraudulent purposes.

Commenting on the risks, Maurice Martin, Business and Marketing Operations director at Microsoft Ireland said “Criminals are always trying new ways to access information or money from consumers. The three biggest threats we expect in 2008 are Phishing Emails, Electronic Greeting Cards and Telephone Scams. In order to help consumers protect themselves we have published step-by-step guides on these specific threats on the Microsoft website which tell people how to spot and protect themselves and what steps to takes. In general we advise householders to keep their firewall turned on, keep their software up-to-date and use antivirus and antispyware software.”

Resources:

For more information and step-by-step advice on how to keep your PC and information safe, please visit: http://www.microsoft.com/ireland/security/

For more information on keeping your PC safe with Microsoft OneCare please visit: http://onecare.live.com

You can download the global Microsoft Security Intelligence Report here: http://download.microsoft.com/download/a/a/1/aa1ac20e-514e-4ec1-a12e-022c35aa54cf/MS_Security_Report_Jan-Jun07.pdf

About the Microsoft Malware Protection Centre in Dublin

The Microsoft Malware Protection Centre (MMPC) is a global malware research and response organization of experienced malware researchers and Microsoft security specialists focused on delivering world-class security response and providing customers, worldwide, with comprehensive, ongoing protection from new and existing threats. As the threat environment evolves, Microsoft is committed to responding to threats on a worldwide basis in a reliable, accurate, efficient, and consistent manner. The MMPC lab in Dublin is part of Microsoft’s European Development Centre in Sandyford and serves as the homebase for the MMPC's European operations. It is responsible for providing quick responses to malware threats, focusing on proactive detection and monitoring the evolving threat landscape in an effort to protect customers worldwide.