ATTENTION - AVG Anti-Virus is still FREE!
The expiring version implies that you have to pay to continue using AVG - but they continue to offer a fully-functional NEW FREE VERSION.

If you are on OMNI's Hi-Speed Wireless, simply CLICK HERE or go to Download.com and type AVG Free into the Search blank at the top of the page, then scroll down and click the Download Now link to the right of AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 8.5.

This is a 62MB download, so it is unreasonable to try this using a dialup connection. OMNI customers can pick up a copy of AVG Anti-virus Free Edition on CD at OMNI's office... or you can bring your computer in and we'll install it for you for only $25.

Omni Alerts

~ Continued from previous column ~

Data suggests that spammers are adopting new strategies to avoid another takedown of a web hosting service. The recent upward trajectory could indicate that spammers are building botnets that are more robust but send less volume – or that they haven't enabled their botnets to run at full capacity because they're wary of exposing a new ISP as a target.

In the past few weeks we've also seen the return of image spam – mostly in pharmaceutical ad images. Image spam was popular with spammers in 2007 but died out in 2008. It's unusual for spammers to re-use an "old" technique since most filters were perfected to block image spam back in 2007.

But spammers continue to prove their resilience. Whether it's bouncing back from the biggest takedown on record or finding new ways to exploit the ways we communicate for malicious purposes, they're clearly here to stay.
~ End of Article ~

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OMNI's Virus Information Section ...find out the very latest Virus Alerts and Hoaxes!

Postini Threat Advisory:
Spam Volume Increases in First Quarter



Overall spam volume growth in the first quarter of 2009 was the strongest since early 2008. Spam volume temporarily dropped in November 2008 when the McColo web hosting service – allegedly a significant source of spam at that time – was taken offline. However, spammers have rallied since then, with spam increasing an average of 1.2% per day in the first quarter. By comparison, the growth rate of spam volume in Q1 2008 was approximately 1% per day – which, at the time, was a record high.

~ Continued on next column ~