* Posts by Simon Smillie

5 publicly visible posts • joined 15 May 2007

Microsoft readies Hal 9000

Simon Smillie
Stop

Oh, there's a bug...

So, it'll be fully operational after service pack 2 then?

How will it measure the stress of the managers who implement it, when they discover they have next to know stats because the thing is always crashing?

And finally, will it run on Linux?

After months of denial, Microsoft cops to IE vulnerability

Simon Smillie

Why is John (Post 12/10/2007 @ 03:50 GMT) a complete cretin?

John,

Just because people use IE DOESN'T mean they are at risk from being "enslaved in a botnet". Using various other software such as virus protection, anti-spyware and firewalls combat most of these problems. Secondly, you're more likely to get caught out surfing "questionable" sites. Is there anything you'd like to tell the group about your surfing habits?

Grow up, IE isn't as bad as you Firefox fanbois make out - you seem to forget that no software is totally secure. If IE is so bad why did Firefox trust anything to be passed to it from IE?

Spammers stuff PlusNet email accounts (again)

Simon Smillie

And it's goodnight from him, and it's goodnight from me

I've just spent the night looking at the various alternatives out there, and I've finally settled up on Zen (http://www.zen.co.uk/).

I've come to this decision with the help of ADSLGuide, or rather thinkboradband.com as they have now become known, http://www.thinkbroadband.com. (Compare Zen against PlusNet and see the difference, the gap never used to be that big.)

It was a toss up between Zen and Newnet, but Zen won due to the similar pricing to PlusNet and inclusion of web space over Newnet.

Oh, and if random comments should start to appear here, blame PlusNet, they let the spammers steal my personal data.

Simon Smillie

...including credit card details...

http://usertools.plus.net/status/archive/1179240249.htm

"...at this stage in the investigation we believe no other personal information, including credit card details, has been disclosed."

"...became aware of an attack on Wednesday 9th May 2007..."

"...a small number of customers may have downloaded a Trojan virus."

"We take the security of our customers' information very seriously..."

"...currently taking a number of actions to minimise any further risks to customers."

"This list is now being used to distribute spam email which continues to be sent to customers, and it is likely that this will continue."

So, if no other personal information has been gained, why do I have to change my password? If I have to change my password, then it must be assumed my password has been compromised, and therefore the my bank details (and other personal data) has also fallen into the wrong hands, so I think PlusNet have contradicted themselves here.

They take the security of their customers' information seriously? So why have they done very little since 9 May? And why have they still not contacted me to apologise and beg me to stay with them after yet another unacceptable display of incompetence?

However I can rest assured they are taking a number of actions to minimise further risks, but I can still expect the spam. I wonder if those actions involve putting the kettle on and sitting on their backsides?

Ironically I turned PlusNet's spam filter on this morning, in an effort to identify the spam. Apparently the filter will mark such mails with the word "SPAM" in the subject. Laughably, what are clearly spam mails are not even being flagged by PlusNet's filter. Another brilliant display of incompetence?

Simon Smillie

When will they contact me?

I've not been contacted as yet to advise me of anything. It was by pure chance that I visited PlusNet's Member Centre to turn on their spam filtering. When reviewing my account settings, that's when the penny dropped, an e-mail address used for my "catch all" settings was being spammed and it wasn't an address that I'd ever used. Clearly PlusNet had made a blunder.

I'm now fed up with the unreliable e-mail service PlusNet provide, if it's not spam, it's severely delayed mail.

Shouldn't it be about time PlusNet compensated it's customers for the shoddy service it provides or lack of service?

Can anyone recommend a good alternative to PlusNet?