We’ve been very quiet of late and keeping our heads down and working on new sites, but we have noticed on the stats of many websites that there are attempts by robots to try to gain access to files on website that are relating to online shops and people selling their services online.

In your Stats look out for:

/refund_policy

/moneyback.request.php

/refundform.php

Look for these in the 404 pages as their has been a huge increase in sites being attached this month.

We believe that these are programs written to extract information from your website to payment gateways such as paypal and worldpay

If you see these, report them to your web master and make sure to get your site backed up asap.

We would like to let any of our clients who have accounts on Boards.ie to change their password on other sites if they use the same password.

boards.ie is one of Irelands most popular bulletin boards on the net in Ireland. There are thousands of members and today their central database was hacked into and the site administrators shut the site down to prevent any loss of date.

A holding page with the following was viewable

***********************

Fellow Boards Members,

Today, Thursday 21 Jan 2010 at 11:20 GMT the Boards.ie database was attacked by a source external to Ireland. This triggered our security response policy and as a result we are sending you this warning email.

In this attack, part of the database which includes our members usernames, email addresses and obfuscated passwords was accessed. While our investigations indicate that individual user accounts are not in danger we have taken the step of changing all user passwords.

We also recommend that if you used the same username/email and password on other sites that you change your password there too as a precaution.

What happened:

• This morning our database server was accessed by an unauthorised source.
• We discovered this intrusion and took the site offline.
• As a precaution We contacted the Gardaí, the Data Protection Commissioner and an independent security consultancy.
• We have followed the advice we have received on how to proceed.
• Like all large sites we are regularly the target for disruption and take continual actions to proactively protect your data.  This particular attack was completely unprecedented despite our rigorous security measures and while we have no idea if this data will be used for any malicious reasons, we felt it vital to tell you this immediately.

What you need to know and do:

• If you use the same password on Boards as you do on other services, you should change it on those other services to be safe. Boards passwords are NOT stored in plain text, they are obscured with the standard vBulletin “Hash”. While this provides strong protection, we have altered all passwords on Boards as a precaution and suggest you take this time to allter other similar passwords.
• If you are a subscriber, please be assured, we do NOT store credit card details or any payment details on our servers. Nothing of that nature is held on our site and as a result such data was not compromised.
• We apologise for this inconvenience. We do not want to over stress the problem, however we felt the situation requires full disclosure.

Tom Murphy.

Things to check out:

• Boards.ie on Twitter

We have been supplying spam filters to our clients for a long time now, but since the global recession has kicked in we’ve seen a huge increase in the volumes of spam going through of servers, eating the band width and consuming huge processing time, not to mention squatting on Gigabytes of our server space.

Because of this we have been working on creating a product to help our clients and to help ourselves on the amount of administration that it is taking each day to help clear valid emails and block unwanted ones.

Self Service is the norm these days in supermarkets, petrol stations and now in email filtering systems, allowing our clients log into their own Email Filtering Control Panel and manage emails they need to receive and leave the ones that could contain a virus or spam that will waste their valuable time.

Once they log into our secure system, the menu system allows the user to tweak their email filter to make it strong or to allow certain emails through or IP addresses. The great think about this is that it really puts the keys back in the administrators hands. You can create and update White Lists and Black Lists to suit your needs.

If you have an email that has been sent you but the spam filter has blocked it then you can log in, view it in the log of stopped emails and click on “release” and it will be pushed into your inbox as normal in a few minutes.

How to set up Spam Filtering ?

Basically just get in touch and if you are an existing client or if you not a client of ours and your website is hosted on another server just get your web designer or administrator of your domain name to make your MX Records point towards our filters. The MX records should be setup as follows:

Priority 10 = mx1.spamfilters.ie
Priority 20 = mx2.spamfilters.ie
Priority 30 = mx3.spamfilters.ie
Priority 40 = mx4.spamfilters.ie
Priority 50 = mx5.spamfilters.ie
Priority 60 = mx6.spamfilters.ie
Priority 70 = mx7.spamfilters.ie

As you can see the filtering get passed through more filtration sessions than a good whiskey, so image how great the results are on your inbox. These sessions are powerful servers that are updated and kept running 24/7 to examine the origin of emails,  see where they are being sent from, look and see if they are all being sent from the same IP address or computer. Often a pc can get a virus and it turns that PC into a Virus Sending Server. Our servers notice these type of emails and we block those dodgy emails before they arrive on your door.

The Control Panel lets you see exactly the amount of email we block each hour, To start email filtering your mail and stop the crap being delivered to your inbox and your staff’s inbox then call myself Dave Jordan and we can start clearing your email today.

Cada Media – Email Filtering Services – 053 9430748

Just wondering if others out there are getting emails from people in their twitter account? It seems there has been a new security breach in the major social media platform. Have you received an email from us @ cada media?

Dave

I am guessing that this is NOT the AIB BANK but in fact another online scam.

Delete It, do NOT Click on the Image, this will only confirm your email address to the scam and you will receive more emails like this.

We have been asked a number of time and I suppose we don’t shout about it too much but for our local clients in the Courtown and Gorey area we do have Online Advertising opportunities in the form of advertising on either GoreyLinks.com, NorthWexford.com or CourtownHarbour.com

For details call Dave on 053-9430748

We received an email from a very concerned client of ours this morning asking if their domain name was up for renewal as they have already paid for it just a few months ago. The email as you will read below is suggesting that we have sold our company to an Italian business.

An extract from the email = “Given the recent situation with your current provider selling their company to an Italian provider, we have heard that their existing customers are worried about the decrease in phone support and increase in pricing. As such we are happy to offer an Irish alternative.”

We have not, we have simply re-branded our company from The Web Guy to Cada Media this Summer. The sales person was actually referring to another business.

This is a disgrace, the implications are enormous for the Internet industry in Ireland. To add insult to injury the domain name in question is not actually due for renewal until 2009!

Poaching clients in this manner is a new approach for DigiWeb and their sales force.

If you receive an email from them please let us know.

Dave Jordan – Cada Media Ltd – 053-9430748

*******************
From:* Real Name [mailto:sales_name_was_here@digiweb.ie]
*Sent:* Date- September 2008
*To:* Sales
*Subject:* Domain renewal & hosting services

Good Afternoon,

I notice that *your domain Real_Name_was_here.ie* is due for renewal on the 18th of October.

Given the recent situation with your current provider selling their company to an Italian provider, we have heard that their existing customers are worried about the decrease in phone support and increase in pricing. As such we are happy to offer an Irish alternative.

Digiweb are Ireland’s leading hosting company and as such can offer very competitive hosting prices with the knowledge that your domain is staying with 100% owned and managed Irish company.

You wouldn’t need to wait until 18th before transferring to us either as you can transfer at any time before then to start benefiting from the superior support and competitive pricing

Please feel free to use my contact details regarding any questions you may have.

Sales Digi Web

*********************

Duplicate Content is getting it’s serious tie on these days as many websites are falling down in respect to “Duplicate Content Copyright Infringement”. We supply web sites that our users can update, upload text and images themselves, but where are they getting the content ? Where are they getting the images from?

We have been advising our clients for a number of years now to make sure they write good web content for their sites to attract visitors. If they use content from other sites/books then they will attract visitors such as solicitors and american lawyers!

****************************

Sample letter received

Pursuant to US Digital Millennium Copyright Act and the Ireland Copyright Act

To Whom It May Concern:

I represent X Company (client), the exclusive publisher of the XXX book, which is a secure test instrument restricted to purchase by qualified individuals. The book is an original work of authorship registered with the United States Copyright Office.

It has recently come to the clients attention that you have a web site that contains an unauthorized reproduction of the Book. The reproduction, display, and distribution of the material at the online location infringes our clients copyright in the book because the test items are reproduced and displayed on the online location without our clients’s permission. As such, the web page you are hosting clearly infringes both U.S. Copyright law. See 17 U.S.C. 512(d) and New Zealand Copyright
law .

LOCATION OF INFRINGEMENT

The location of the infringement is:

http://www.yoursite-name-here-.ie

NOTICE OF TAKE DOWN

The purpose of this letter is to advise you of our clients’s rights and to seek your agreement to (1) remove and destroy the copyrighted material; and (2) disable or remove any hyperlink(s). Please note that the disabling or removing of Pearson’s copyrighted material from this site should include destroying the usefulness of any textual directory or pointer information contained therein.

Please confirm in writing that you have complied with the above request.

RESERVATION OF RIGHTS

Clients name reserves its position insofar as costs and damages caused by the unauthorized reproduction and/or display of the book and any information locating tools with respect to online locations engaged in infringing activity. Pearson also reserves its right to seek injunctive relief to prevent further unauthorized activity, particularly any information locating tools, pending your response to this letter. We suggest you contact your legal advisors to obtain legal advice as to
your position.

VERIFICATION

The information contained in this notification is accurate as of the time of compilation and, under penalty of perjury, I certify that I am authorized to act on behalf of our clients, xxx client name has a good faith belief that use of the material in the manner complained of is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law.

************************

We are letting our clients know that if they get a letter in the post today asking for the renewal of their domain in an internet directory the DELETE it, of SHRED IT, Its a German company asking you for €958 so they can put a link to your website on theirs……

Internet Register Ireland

This is a copy of an email and letter that is currently being sent to owners of domain names in Ireland.

This German company is asking owners of domains to send them €958 euro to get listed on their internet directory.

It is a SCAM and delete or shred it. The notice reads with the following text:

************************

Please use the enclosed reply envelope to return the form with your current details for the Internet Register Ireland, or reply by fax. Only then will the Internet Register contain the latest information. Your basic data will e updated, even if you do not place an order. In the lower part of the form you can state up to three search keys, in addition to your sector, by which interested parties shall find you in the Internet Register. hese search keys are only into consideration if you place the payable advertisement order below by signing. You can confirm the accuracy of the stated details by correcting the following data: Click on ImageClick for Larger Image

Order

We hereby place an order with DAD Deutscher Adressdienst GmbH (hereinafter: publisher) under the general terms and conditions of business cited overleaf, to publish the above details highlighted in the Internet Register Ireland, published by DAD GmbH. In addition to the sector, we have the opportunity of stating up to three search keys by which interested parties shall find us. The register contains Irish companies, self employed, organisations and public institutions with internet addresses and appears on the World Wide Web under www.internet-register-ireland.com. The advertisement costs 958 EUROS per annum and is payable in advance after issue of invoice. The order is valid for the next three years from the date of order, and is extended each time by another year, unless written notice to terminate has been given three months prior to the end of the term of contract. The publisher reserves the right to specify the layout of the advertisement. The data shall be stored electronically. German law applicable. Exclusive place of jurisdiction and performance is the registered place of business of the publisher.

If you get an email like this, Delete it.

****************
Financial Expert/Oakhill House,
130 Tonbridge Road , Hildenborough,
Tonbridge , Kent TN11 9DZ ,
United Kingdom .

I am aware that this is certainly an unconventional approach to starting a relationship. I am Mr.Charles Albert, Financial Expert worked with prime Banks here in United Kingdom as Financial Consultant Auditor. I will be happy if we can do business together in good faith and this proposal will be of mutual benefit for us. I have a business proposal in the tune of £230,000.000.00-[Two Hundred & Thirty Million British Pounds Sterling} to be transferred to any safe account with your assistance. I have every possibility & advantages for the proceeds of this account to be paid to you and then both of us can share the money, 55% to me and 45% to you. Can I trust you on this?

I had discussed this issue privately with the Top Bank Director and he agreed to help and have instructed me to look for a foreigner who will be trusted and capable to handle this transaction so that we can transfer this money out from UK . I guarantee that this will be executed under a concrete special arrangement that will protect you from any breach of law. I will not fail to bring to your notice that this transaction is hitch-free and you should not entertain any fears as the required arrangements have been made for the completion of this transfer. This money was secretly deposited and placed for an Investment before the late holder died and none of his families or relatives knows about this money, so it’s discovered during an annual audition. If you can be trusted and capable to handle this business with me in full confidence & trust, please send me the following information for documentation purpose:

(1). Full names:
(2). Private phone numbers:
(3). Current residential address:
(4). Occupation:
(5). Age and Sex:

{6}.Your Full Banking Coordinates as follows.

Bank Name:
Bank Address:
Account No:
Account Holder’s Name:

More Information about yourself ETC.

I look forward hearing from you.

Kind Regards.

Mr. Charles Albert