AVG (AU/NZ) Warns of the Dangers of Public Wi-Fi and Gives Some Handy Tips to Protect Yourself

Melbourne and Amsterdam, 11 January 2011. What would you do if you opened up your Wi-Fi connection and saw five available wireless networks to join? How would you know which network to join and which, if any, could be dangerous? With the proliferation of instant connectivity and convenience comes a plethora of opportunities for cyber-criminals to try and steal your data.

Lloyd Borrett, Security Evangelist for AVG (AU/NZ) Pty Ltd, says: “Research shows that free wireless public networks located in airports, hotels, cafes and other public places are ripe for exploitation by the bad guys. Data transmitted in a wireless network is more susceptible to being tampered with than a wired Internet connection.

“Setting up fake “free” Wi-Fi hotspots in public places that can potentially be used to steal sensitive data, such as online banking passwords or personal information, is alarmingly easy to do. In fact, hacker websites provide instructions on how such crimes can be committed!”

Operating systems like Windows XP/Vista/7 automatically prompt you to accept or decline connections to available wireless networks. Naturally, most users will choose to connect to the ‘Free Wi-Fi’ access point, which could actually connect them to a hacker’s computer – a computer-to-computer connection – rather than a direct connection to what looks like an official airport wireless access hub.

To make matters worse, the SSIDs (Service Set Identifiers), or names, of wireless networks you’ve joined before are saved on your system. Your PC will automatically log on to any network with that saved name. So if a cyber-criminal offers a name familiar to you, he’s just given himself free entry to your PC.

Five Tips for Using Public Wi-Fi Connections

With the summer holiday season approaching, many of you will be packing your laptops so you can stay in touch with family, friends and business whilst away. So here are five tips to help keep you safe when using public Wi-Fi connections on your travels:

Check before you connect. Before connecting to a network, look around and locate a sign that advertises the official name of the legitimate network you want to connect to.

Turn it on, turn it off. Don’t activate your wireless connection if you’re not planning to connect to the web. Not only will this protect you from intrusion, it’ll also save your battery life.

Turn off shared folders. If you unwittingly connect to a malicious network, a hacker could easily transfer malicious spyware onto your laptop.

Stop and think before using online accounts. Be very careful what information you share in public locations. Even seemingly innocuous logins to web email or social networking accounts could give cyber-criminals access to your more important data.

Turn on automatic updates. Ensure that your security software, operating system, utilities and applications are always up to date.

Have you Secured Your Home or Business Wi-Fi Network?

Maybe you’re not travelling, but just using a Wi-Fi local area network (WLAN) at home, or in the office.

Borrett says: “Securing your home or business Wi-Fi is not such a difficult task, but still many people use their network modems/routers with the default password – or worse, with no password at all. This may be because they don’t know how to set the security up, or because they believe that ‘nobody cares about their network’. But the result is the same. Even a novice hacker can then attack such a Wi-Fi network, steal private or sensitive data, or even abuse the connection for malicious or illegal activities.

“So here are some basic steps you can use to take to control your home or business Wi-Fi Internet connection.”

Change the default administrator username and password for the modem/router. The bad guys know the default usernames and passwords used by the equipment manufacturers.

Change the Service Set Identifier (SSID). The SSID is the name that identifies the wireless network and manufacturers normally ship their products with the same SSID set. For example, the SSID for Linksys devices is normally “linksys”. This tells the bad guys two things. First, you have a poorly secured network, thus they’re more likely to attack it. Second, they now know what sort of device you have, which makes it easier for them to hack it. Don’t use a name that makes your network easy for others to identify your family, business or location. The name you choose for the SSID should not be the same as your Wi-Fi encryption key (password), or even used as a part of the encryption key.

Make sure your network encryption is turned on. All Wi-Fi equipment supports some form of encryption. Encryption is the process that “scrambles” the data sent or submitted over the wireless connection. This doesn’t stop unauthorised people from accessing the encrypted traffic sent and received from your computer but will make it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to understand the meaning of the encrypted traffic. Naturally you will want to pick the strongest form of encryption that works with your wireless network. However, the way these technologies work, all Wi-Fi devices on your network must share the identical encryption settings. Therefore you may need to find a “lowest common denominator” setting. Make sure you use the stronger WPA2-AES, WPA2-PSK, WPA2 or WPA encryption methods, not the quite weak WEP one.

Assign an extremely strong encryption key (password). Any device or person seeking access to your Wi-Fi network must know the password to connect. You should aim to make the key at least 20 characters in length. Use a mixture of upper and lower case alphabetic characters, numbers, plus special non-alphanumeric characters, e.g. +, -, $, % etc. Don’t use any dictionary words.

Assign static IP addresses to devices. Most home networkers gravitate toward using dynamic IP addresses. DHCP technology is indeed easy to set up. Unfortunately, this convenience also works to the advantage of network attackers, who can easily obtain valid IP addresses from your network’s DHCP pool. Turn off DHCP on the router or access point, set a fixed IP address range instead, and then configure each connected device to match. Use a private IP address range (like 10.0.0.x) to prevent computers from being directly reached from the Internet.

Enable firewalls on each computer and the modem/router. Modern network routers contain a built-in firewall capability. Ensure that your router’s firewall is turned on. For extra protection, consider installing and running personal firewall software on each PC connected to the router.

Turn off the Wi-Fi network during extended periods of non-use. The ultimate in wireless security measures, shutting down your Wi-Fi network will most certainly prevent outside hackers from breaking in! If you’re going to be away from your home or business for extended periods of time, then most modem/routers will let you turn off the Wi-Fi facility. If you own a wireless router but are only using wired connections, you should check that the Wi-Fi capability on your broadband modem/router is disabled.

“Most modems/routers nowadays have very user friendly setup utilities or web interfaces and come with extensive documentation. If you are still not sure how to do it, just do a Google search for your router type and ‘wpa setup’. It’s definitely well worth it,” Borrett concludes.

AVG (AU/NZ) has a comprehensive range of security tips on its web site at http://www.avg.com.au/resources/security-tips/. For more tips on securing your Wi-Fi network, visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSCj1ZJmgMM and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WA2wa8deXO8

Latest expansion for Blizzard Entertainment’s massively multiplayer online role-playing game continues record-setting sales pace

IRVINE, Calif. — January 10, 2011 — Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. today announced that World of Warcraft®: Cataclysm™, the third expansion for the critically acclaimed massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), has sold through more than 4.7 million copies as of its first month of release, setting a new record for monthly PC-game sales.*

World of Warcraft: Cataclysm was simultaneously released in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Europe, Russia, Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand on December 7, and became available in Korea and the regions of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau on December 9. With day-one sales topping 3.3 million copies,* World of Warcraft: Cataclysm became the fastest-selling PC game of all time, shattering the previous record, which was held by the second World of Warcraft expansion, Wrath of the Lich King®.

“We created thousands of new quests, introduced new lands to explore, and extensively revamped the game world for World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, making it our biggest and most ambitious expansion yet,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “We’ve been floored by the community’s response so far, and we’d like to thank them for their continued passion and support for World of Warcraft, and for helping Cataclysm reach this incredible milestone.”

The world’s most famous hedgehog speeds through two successful decades of gaming! 

Tuesday 11^th January 2011 – SEGA® Corporation is proud to announce their company mascot will celebrate his 20^th anniversary on June 23, 2011. 

From the first day of the release of Sonic The Hedgehog™ back in 1991 on the SEGA Mega Drive console (Genesis for North America), Sonic the Hedgehog quickly became a popular gaming icon due to his super fast speed and his cool, edgy character. In the twenty years that the video games have been available, Sonic the Hedgehog has notched up over 70 million units sold worldwide.

As well as videogames, SEGA’s iconic blue hedgehog has enjoyed huge success in areas such as comics, apparel and toys and even starred in his own animated series.

SEGA Corporation will be celebrating this special year in style with events around the world, details of which will be released throughout the 20^th anniversary year of 2011.

Volume Four of PC Download Classics Confirmed! 

Tuesday 11^th January 2011 –SEGA^® Europe Ltd. and SEGA^® of America, Inc. today can announce that following the success of the three previous SEGA Mega Drive Classics™ collections (SEGA Genesis Classic’s), the fourth installment of evergreen games from the legendary platform will now be available on PC via digital distribution.

SEGA Mega Drive™ fans will once again be able to re-live memories playing these golden oldies. This collection features games including the legendary Sonic The Hedgehog™ 2, Gunstar Heroes™, Streets of Rage™ 2, ToeJam & Earl™, Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair and many more! These popular SEGA titles will be available via digital partners with pricing from $2.99 /£1.99/€2.49/ AUS$3.49.

“We are pleased to make more classic titles available from SEGA’s rich gaming heritage, each with load/save functionality and full PC support.” said James Schall, Digital Distribution Manager at SEGA Europe. “Our fans will be able to enjoy playing their favourite classics, with the added opportunity of experiencing games they missed first time around.”

For a full list of games, find out more at www.sega.com

Required and Recommended PC Systems Detailed.

Tuesday 11^th January 2011 – SEGA Europe Ltd. today announced the system specs that will provide the optimum experience of the next iteration of the critically acclaimed Total War™ series, Total War: SHOGUN 2™.

Minimum Specs (Required for playing Total War: Shogun 2):

–        2 GHz Intel Dual Core processor / 2.6 GHz Intel Single Core processor , or AMD equivalent (with SSE2)

–        1GB RAM (XP), 2GB RAM (Vista / Windows7)

–        256 MB DirectX 9.0c compatible graphics card (shader model 3)

–        1024×768 minimum screen resolution

–        20GB free hard disk space 

Recommended Specs (Recommended for optimum game play of Total War: Shogun 2):

–        2nd Generation Intel® Core™i5 processor (or greater), or AMD equivalent

–        2GB RAM (XP), 4GB RAM (Vista / Windows7)

–        AMD Radeon HD 5000 and 6000 series graphics cards or equivalent DirectX 11 compatible graphics card

–        1280×1024 minimum screen resolution

–        20GB free hard disk space

Total War: SHOGUN 2 pushes forward the hugely successful Total War series by perfecting the features from previous games such as full 3D land and naval battles and a detailed campaign map, whilst adding an exciting new multiplayer experience. Total War: SHOGUN 2 releases in March 2011.

For more information about the game, please visit www.totalwar.com. For assets, please visit www.sega-press.com.

Second-generation Constellation.2 family delivers highest capacity enterprise storage with the lowest power consumption in its class; optimized for IT data centres and the cloud

SCOTTS VALLEY, Calif. — 11 January, 2011— Seagate (NASDAQ:STX) today introduced Constellation.2™, the industry’s first 2.5-inch enterprise-class hard drive to reach a record 1TB capacity. The Constellation.2 drive is designed for server storage applications and offers a solid combination of high capacity, leading 6Gb/s performance, superior data integrity, and best-in-class low power consumption.

The Constellation.2 drive is designed for system builders and OEMs who want to offer competitive, feature-rich, bulk storage solutions for a sustainable future. The Constellation.2 drive is fit for use in a range of applications in Directed Attached Storage (DAS), Network Attached Storage (NAS) and Storage Area Network (SAN) environments, from small-to-midsized businesses to the largest enterprise data centres storing and hosting data to the cloud.

“Data centre managers continue to seek out more efficient storage technologies without sacrificing performance, while still meeting capacity growth requirements,” said John Rydning, research director for IDC. “Reaching the 1TB capacity in a small form factor design gives IT managers more options to meet capacity requirements with efficient storage platforms. IDC expects the use of capacity-optimised drives like Seagate’s 1TB Constellation.2™ to increase by more than 50% from 2010 to 2014.”

The Constellation.2 drive is offered in capacity choices of 250GB, 500GB, and 1TB, and with 6Gb/s SATA or 6Gb/s SAS interface options. Its advanced second-generation design provides improved data integrity with the new T10 Protection Information standard andan increase in reliability (1.4 million hours MTBF). With a Self Encrypting Drive (SED)option, data security is covered throughout the entire drive lifecycle.

“The Constellation.2™ underscores Seagate’s commitment to its customers to deliver industry-leading solutions that meet the demands of IT professionals today and tomorrow,” said Carla Kennedy, vice president of Product Line Management, Seagate. “With its class-leading reliability, record-breaking capacity, and improvements made along its entire range of features, Constellation.2™ drive is a perfect solution for dense server and storage systems.”

“The enhanced capacity and reliability of the Seagate Constellation.2™ drives will help deliver even greater value to Dell’scustomers focused on their ever-increasing storage needs,” said Lewie Newcomb, executive director, Storage Core Technologies, Dell. “The Dell PowerVault storage enclosuresand PowerEdge serversare being enabled for even more powerful storage alternatives using these energy-efficient, capacity-optimized, and performance-enhanced 2.5-inch drives.”

Seagate Unified Storage architecturedelivers long-term business sustainability
Constellation.2 family fits within the Seagate Unified Storage architecture, which converges best-of-breed technologies (Serial Attached SCSI, Small Form Factor and Self-Encrypting Drives) into a foundation for flexible, powerful and simple storage that boosts business and operational efficiency while reducing cost and complexity. Historically, the variety of drive interfaces, form factors and now, security solutions, can add complexity and cost for both IT professionals and OEMs – all which the Seagate Unified Storage architecture model resolves.

Constellation.2 drives are currently shipping to OEMs and the worldwide distribution channel. For more information about the Constellation® family of drives, in addition to Seagate’s other enterprise storage solutions, visit www.seagate.com.

Visit the Seagate Inside IT Storageblog or follow us on the Seagate Enterprise IT Twitterpage for regular updates about enterprise storage.

GUITAR HERO®: WARRIORS OF ROCK KICKS OFF 2011 WITH NEW DOWNLOADABLE CONTENT FROM NINE INCH NAILS, A DAY TO REMEMBER HAWTHORNE HEIGHTS, THE USED AND MORE

Ten Song Mega Pack Arrives Today for the Guitar Hero® Music Library

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – January 12, 2011 – Packing a whole lot of rock into one single day, Activision Publishing, Inc.’s (Nasdaq: ATVI) Guitar Hero®: Warriors of Rock is kicking off 2011 in a big way with ten new downloadable tracks for the Guitar Hero® music library. The January Mega Pack delivers Guitar Hero aficionados a full month of downloadable music in one shot and boasts an impressive collection of shredable hits from bands such Nine Inch Nails, A Day To Remember, Hawthorne Heights, The Used and more. The track pack is the perfect encore to a holiday purchase of Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock.

After their on disc appearance with “Wish” in Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, are adding their unique sound to the Guitar Hero music library this month with the inclusion of three songs in the January Mega Pack. The pack contains “Head Like A Hole,” the band’s first major single off their debut album, Pretty Hate Machine, “The Hand That Feeds,” the lead single off their 2005 album With Teeth and “Closer,” the second single from their 1994 album, The Downward Spiral.

Also appearing in the January Mega Pack are three tracks from American rock band A Day To Remember. The pack includes “All I Want” and “2nd Sucks” off the bands fourth studio album, What Separates Me from You, and “The Downfall Of Us All” from their third studio album, Homesick.

Rounding out this month’s mega pack are select singles from four shredtastic bands, The Damned Things, Hawthorne Heights, HIM and The Used. “We’ve Got A Situation Here,” the lead single off The Damned Things debut album, Ironiclast, joins “Rescue Me” from Hawthorne Heights third studio album, Fragile Future, “Wings Of A Butterfly,” by HIM and “Buried Myself Alive,” off The Used 2002 self titled debut album.

The January Mega Pack is available on Xbox LIVE® Marketplace for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, on the PlayStation®Store for PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and for Wii™. All songs in the January Mega Pack are also available as downloadable singles for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation 3 system and Wii. In addition to the in-game music store and Xbox LIVE Marketplace for Xbox 360, Xbox 360 owners can expand their Guitar Hero music library using the Guitar Hero VIP Pass Music Store, available exclusively on Xbox LIVE® online entertainment network.

For more information about Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock and the entire line-up of downloadable songs and disc imports, please visit www.guitarhero.com, www.facebook.com/guitarhero and www.twitter.com/guitarhero.

Ninjas Face Off in an Epic LEGO® Adventure Spinning Onto the Nintendo DS This Autumn

Sydney, Australia – Jan. 12, 2011 – Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and TT Games are unleashing an epic family friendly adventure with LEGO Ninjago: The Video Game for Nintendo DS™, the follow-up title to the highly-successful LEGO® Battles videogame. Scheduled for release in autumn 2011, the game complements the line-up of LEGO Ninjago products released in January and going throughout 2011.

Amazing Milestone Achieved in True Free-to-Play Fashion

FOSTER CITY, Calif. – January 12, 2011 Perfect World Entertainment Inc., a wholly owned US subsidiary of Perfect World Co., Ltd. (NASDAQ: PWRD), today announced that the 105 level cap in its flagship massive multiplayer online role-playing game, Perfect World International, has been achieved. As a testament to the free-to-play model, the character who reached this milestone did so without the use of real world money, instead opting to trade with other players.

“While reaching level 105 is a milestone for Perfect World International , doing so without spending a dime is a testament to the name free-to-play,” said Jonathan Belliss, Director of Marketing for Perfect World Entertainment Inc. “Perfect World Entertainment’s games are designed to be truly free-to-play and when compared to subscription-based games, offers players the best entertainment value available on the market today.”

Perfect World Entertainment is committed to providing all players with new and unique online gaming experiences on an ongoing basis and recently unveiled details on its latest Perfect World International expansion. Perfect World International: Genesis will offer a plethora of new content for players to enjoy, even after the level cap.

For more information about the latest Perfect World International expansion is available at the official website: http://pwi.perfectworld.com/expansion

About Perfect World Entertainment Inc.
Perfect World Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Perfect World Co., Ltd. (NASDAQ: PWRD), publishes free-to-play online games and provides online services in North America. The Company primarily publishes online games based on the Perfect World proprietary game engines and game development platforms. The Company’s releases include “Battle of the Immortals,” “Ether Saga Online,” “Heroes of Three Kingdoms,” “Jade Dynasty,” “Legend of Martial Arts” and “Perfect World International,” a free-to-play MMORPG which is currently played by millions of people worldwide; and a single-player action-RPG “Torchlight.”