Most wireless hotspots open to hackers

Hundreds of commercial wireless hotspots in Dublin, Limerick and Cork are insecure, according to a new study by consulting firm Deloitte. The company said that 70 percent of public wireless networks have no encryption in place, while 80 percent are insecure, meaning they have no encryption or use the WEP standard, which is easy to crack. The lack of security leaves users vulnerable to having data such as usernames, passwords and bank account details revealed to other users on the network. Colm McDonnell, Deloitte's partner for Enterprise Risk Services, said businesses may be leaving their networks open as a matter of "expediency", making it easy for staff and visitors to access the network without having to worry about configurations. "The frustrating thing here is that there is not a big cost involved in being secure - these people have already bought the hardware, they just need to configure it," he said. Read more on this story on IrishTimes.com.

Computer users continue to ignore virus threats

Security specialist ESET has released its Global Threat Trend Report for October 2009, with the Win32/Conficker worm accounting for more than 8 percent of global threats. Based on ThreatSense.Net, a malware reporting and tracking system, the report notes that despite a Microsoft patch, the continuous spread of Conficker shows a lack of awareness among computer users. In Ireland, the INF/Autorun family of malware, which is designed to run automatically when removable media (such as USB flash drives) are accessed by a Windows PC user, is the top threat. The number two threat in Ireland is the Win32/Kryptik family, which has started to spread massively throughout the last month. The Kryptik family covers a group of harmful applications, typically rogue anti-spyware and anti-virus programs, and spying Trojans, which are all aimed at extracting money from unsuspecting computer users. For more on this story visit ENN.ie.

Online shoppers have trouble completing purchases

Visitors to e-commerce sites are more likely to be doing research than shopping, according to a new study by e-commerce analyst iPerceptions. The company found that 38.6 percent of visitors to online retail sites were at the initial information-gathering phase, while 21.9 percent were there to shop and 17.2 percent intended to make a purchase. Those who were in the 'learning phase' reported a high level of satisfaction with the sites they visited, with more than 85 percent saying they could complete their task. Task completion rates dropped to 76.9 percent among respondents who were aiming to shop, however, and to 61.5 percent among those looking to make a purchase. The most common reasons shoppers did not buy were the failure to find what they needed, followed by pricing issues, problems with navigation or usability, and shipping policy issues. For more on this story see eMarketer.com. See elsewhere in this issue for tips on preparing your online store for the Christmas shopping period.

Evaluate IT efficiency before upturn starts: Gartner

Businesses should question the efficiency of their IT systems now, before the upturn starts, according to analyst firm Gartner. Speaking at a symposium in Cannes, Gartner vice president Ken McGee told organisations that it is time to make key decisions about IT investments. "We are now in one of the rarest and most fleeting periods in business: nearing the bottom of a recession and before a return to growth," he said. "We urge organisations to exploit this unusual opportunity to question the efficacy of their IT business practices, and determine whether those practices warrant change. But they need to act now. By the time business growth returns, they will be far too busy and it will simply be too late to change." McGee also urged companies to challenge themselves to "resolve just one enterprise information/IT 'grand challenge'" by 2013. For more visit V3.co.uk.

Here are some of the issues our forum members have been discussing in the last fortnight:

• SEO/online marketing view thread
• Malware site check view thread
• Finding a web developer view thread

Is your online store ready for the Christmas rush?

CRM: Retaining customers, streamlining operations

Case study: Hampers and Co

Create strong passwords

Radisson Hotel, Dublin 8, November 18
This half-day conference presented by the IIA aims to show you how to take the next steps to win more international business using the internet and how to grow an international revenue stream. Using a series of teach sessions and case studies, attendees will learn how to develop effective international sales strategies and also have an opportunity to network with other businesses.

Produced by Hamburg-based Spider Labs, Twibble is a mobile phone application that makes it easy to access popular micro-blogging site Twitter while on the move. The software is available to download for most Java-enabled smartphones, including Nokia, Blackberry and Sony Ericsson handsets. A free version shows you the ten most recent tweets, while a small fee drops the limitation. You can also choose to display your geographic location to other Twitterers, using GPS.