Posted on 06/22/2010 9:08:25 AM PDT by Palter
AUSTRALIANS would be forced to install anti-virus and firewall software on their computers before being allowed to connect to the internet under a new plan to fight cyber crime.
And if their computer did get infected, internet service providers like Telstra and Optus could cut off their connection until the problem was resolved.
Those are two of the recommendations to come from a year-long inquiry into cyber crime by the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Communications.
Results of the inquiry, titled Hackers, Fraudsters and Botnets: Tackling the Problem of Cyber Crime, were released last night in a 260-page report.
In her foreword, committee chair Belinda Neal said cyber crime had turned into a "sophisticated underground economy".
"In the past decade, cyber crime has grown from the nuisance of the cyber smart hacker into an organised transnational crime committed for vast profit and often with devastating consequences for its victims," Ms Neal said.
During its inquiry the committee heard a growing number of Australians were being targeted by cyber criminals and that increasing internet speeds were likely to make the situation worse.
It also heard the problem was costing Australian businesses as much as $649 million a year.
The committee looked at several different examples of cyber crime, including hacking, phishing, malware and botnets.
Among its final 34 recommendations were:
— The creation of an around-the-clock cyber crime helpline.
— Changes to the law to make unauthorised installation of software illegal.
— Companies who release IT products with security vulnerabilities should be open to claims for compensation by consumers.
Another of its recommendations was to create a new "e-security code of practice" that would define the responsibilities of internet service providers and their customers.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.com.au ...
BOHICA!
This will be an inevitability if Obama gets the keys to the Net. I run Ubuntu and Fedora on most of my machines and anti-virus is moot. I do not have AV on my Windows 7 or Server 2008 machines either. Viruses are a user-control issue, not an inevitability. 20 years with computers, and I have had to deal with 1 virus and that was due to an email attachment from a family member who told me to expect an email with an attachment.
I remember when Australia was a free country.
‘— Companies who release IT products with security vulnerabilities should be open to claims for compensation by consumers. “
So who in their right mind would sell an IT product there?
So true! All you need is a decent router and enough sense to watch what install or run.
I like the idea of cutting off connections. It would only be prudent network management to cut off a client that has suddenly become, for example, an active part of a DDOS botnet.
I agree; there’s no need for the government to be involved, except for removing legal roadblocks to such policies that the ISPs could implement on their own. The market would do the rest.
I wonder who is lobbying for this bill?
Taking away their freedom.
I watch my router like a hawk. I set up QoS with dd-wrt, and I get regular email alerts if my usage spikes for an appreciable amount of time. I’m only hosting my personal website and a VPN tunnel, and those aren’t very high use or I know when they’re being used.
Microsoft- largest purveyor and facilitator of malware in the world.
Motto: screwing up computers since the 1980’s
‘Microsoft- largest purveyor and facilitator of malware in the world.”
baloney
“Motto: screwing up computers since the 1980’s”
You mean putting computers on every desktop since the 1980’s.
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