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THE Federal Government yesterday called for vigilance against computer viruses and hacking over the new year.

Attorney-General Daryl Williams and Acting Communications Minister Ian Campbell said there were reports from the United States about a possible increase in hacking and virus attacks using the Y2K bug as cover.

They want more vigilance from industry and the community to protect computer systems, particularly in the period of January 1 to 4.

Steps to further protect computer systems include:

Ensuring all security patch software updates are in place.

Seeing the latest anti-virus software updates are loaded.

Monitoring for unexplained activity, such as an increase in failed password attempts.

Exercising care in opening unexpected e-mail or attachments.

More detailed information about protective measures is available from the Australian Computer Emergency Response Team (AusCERT) website at http://www.auscert.org.au.

-- Steve (hartsman@ticon.net), December 25, 1999