Net Idea News

Please note that Net Idea’s lines are being shut down.  We still notice many customers calling either 250-352-3512 or 888-352-3512.  Please update your records to call 1-877-373-6121 for service.  There is not anybody answering any of Net Idea’s lines, nor checking their voicemail.  If you have family or friends that use Secure By Design or Net Idea services, please let them know about this update.  We are still located in Nelson though at 201 - 625 Front St.

We would never ask you for your password.  We are also no longer in business as well.  Secure By Design is now handling your account, and they have all of your information from our records.  Please disregard and delete ANY messages claiming to be from a Net Idea Staff Member.

The Net Idea dial-up internet number (352-3532) is no longer working, and was unexpectedly shut off Monday December 22nd. We’re posting this notice just to get the word out, as only about half of the subscribers had switched to the new number provided by Secure by Design.
There are detailed instructions to set up your Net Idea dial-up account over to Secure by Design on their web site, as well as a set up tool for Windows XP & 2000. Here are the links:

• Windows XP & 2000 set up tool
• Manual Instructions for Windows Vista
• Manual Instructions for Windows XP
• Manual Instructions for Mac OS X

A statement previously posted on our website may have implied TELUS was the cause of Net Idea’s dissolution. That is not the case. In fact, upon reflection we realize TELUS has been fair with us, regularly extending credit and accepting late and partial payment for Internet bandwidth to help us weather challenging times and negotiate the changing nature of the increasingly competitive Internet business. We apologize to TELUS for our comments, and sincerely regret any negative impression those comments may have conveyed to you with respect to TELUS.

The Net Idea would like to thank you for 14 years of operations as one of BC’s oldest independant ISP’s.  Your account has been transfered to Secure By Design Technology Inc. and you can contact them for service at 1-877-373-6121.  Or check out their new site at http://www.secure-by-design.com.

Thank you for your support!

The Net Idea

We have been advised that there is an email that made it out to several Net Idea customers before our Antivirus system caught it. This email looks rather convincing that it is us. It claims that your computer has been compromised, and is being used as a spam proxy. It further claims that you have to open the attached file to either “Fix” this issue or “Diagnose” your computer. This attachment is a virus. Do not Open these files.

The Net Idea will never issue emails such as this. We especially will not send out attachments in any of our emails, unless we have made previous arrangements with the client. Although some computers do in fact get compromised by Worms and other forms of Malware, we deal with you personally, over the phone, when it happens. We are committed to providing the best possible service we can, and we take your Computer and Network security seriously. You are always welcome to contact us, should you receive anything suspicious, and / or wish to confirm the validity of an email.

Please be advised that the email sample as provided below, and any variation to it is a complete scam.  The file the email contains is not a log of your activities, but rather a virus that will infect a Windows based computer.  The virus is most likely a Trojan Horse that would permanently compromise your computer’s security.  The Net Idea does not monitor your service in this fashion, and only would for the purpose of assisting law enforcement execute a warrant.  Please disregard any message that is similar to the sample provided below:

From: ICS Monitoring Team [mailto:user@domain.com]
Sent: September 11, 2008 12:49 PM
To: client
Subject: Your internet access is going to get suspended

Your internet access is going to get suspended

The Internet Service Provider Consorcium was made to protect the rights of
software authors, artists.
We conduct regular wiretapping on our networks, to monitor criminal acts.

We are aware of your illegal activities on the internet wich were
originating from

You can check the report of your activities in the past 6 month that we have
attached. We strongly advise you to stop your activities regarding the
illegal downloading of copyrighted material of your internet access will be
suspended.

Sincerely
ICS Monitoring Team

Please be advised the new 778 area code comes into effect province wide and the grace period is now over. 10 Digit Dialing is now mandatory, therefore you MUST HAVE THE 250 AREA CODE in your Dial up settings. We have had excellent response over the last few weeks, and customers are changed to the new dialing procedure very quickly. Please do not hesitate to call us right away if you haven’t set your dial up connection. Phone lines are open 9:00 to 5:30 Monday through Friday. If you are unable to call during normal business hours, a step by step instruction sheet can be sent to you via email, standard mail or fax. Please email tech@netidea.com, and be sure to provide your name, phone number, the method you want the instructions sent, and version of Operating System used on all your systems. (For example: Windows XP SP2, Mac OSX 10.4.11)
The Net Idea is committed to providing you with the best service possible. We realize that our Dial up Customers face more difficult challenges with respect to maintaining their Computers’ security and integrity. Downloads have become a lot larger, and can take forever to complete on your computer. We are rolling out a new Maintenance service starting September 2, 2008. This service will be provided in 2 tiers which will cover a wide range of issues. The service will involve updating all of your essential system software, and security software, plus hardware and software diagnostics. The advanced tier of service will include a system cleaning, and complimentary backup of important documents to DVD-ROM.

This service will be available to Apple and PC systems. PC’s must be running Windows XP or later. Apple Computers must be running OSX 10.3.x or better. We can accomodate all flavours of LINUX. Please call Our Office for more details, or to schedule an appointment.

Howdy Folks!

It appears that someone is getting rather aggressive against our Network, and is issuing another round of “Account Update” emails. Please note that we would never send out an email such as this, and you can always delete this type of message, even if it appears to come from us. We email you your invoices regularly, and any other information upon request only. We will always address you by name, and sign our emails with our names, with the exception of Invoices. As always, you can call us if you have any questions regarding an email you receive and are suspicious of. We are here to serve you, and to assist you in having a safe and enjoyable time on the Internet.

We are looking at implementing a more aggressive filter to stop these guys but the trick to it is to not interrupt legitimate email transmission. So please bear with us as we work to solve the problem.

Banks, eBay, and PayPal customers experience the same type of emails. This type of spam is called a Phishing e-mail. Phishing is actually a digital form of identity theft. In fact some of these guys are so sophisticated, they can duplicate standard emails including the logo and format of the company they are trying to impersonate. Many people fall victim to phishing with drastic results. The best defense is knowledge, and education, which I am proud to say, our Net Idea Customers shine in this area. The last phishing attack that was reported on our website only resulted in 4 email accounts being compromised. Many thanks to those that report in suspicious emails.

We understand these types of emails are a nuisance, and we are working hard to effectively block phishing attacks such as our most recent ones. Please contact us if you have any questions. If you would like simple step by step instructions for how to create your own filter to weed these types of emails out, email curtis@netidea.com. Be sure to provide your Operating system type including the version (e.g. Windows XP SP3, Max OSX 10.4.11, etc), and the name of the software you use for email (e.g. Outlook Express, Mac Mail, etc).