Frequently Asked Questions

Newsletter PDF file crashes
Some subscribers have reported that attempts to open the SSO Newsletters using Adobe Reader 7.0 fails; specifically that the Adobe Reader 7.0 crashes. Please note that there have been a number of stability issues reported in various versions of A...

How do I unsubscribe or change my subscription preferences?
If you wish to unsubscribe from the service, click on the Login link on the SSO web site home page and follow the instructions for unsubscribing.

Will the SSO Alert Service affect my computer in any way?
The SSO Alert Service is an email and RSS based service only.  No software is installed on your computer as a result of registering for this service.  It will not affect your computer, or any software on your computer or your Internet co...

I don't seem to be receiving SSO emails
Check that the Stay Smart Online Alert Service emails have not been filtered to your "Junk" folder or spam email folder. If so, mark content from Stay Smart Online Alert Service as a "safe sender" to prevent this from happening again ...

What do I do if I forgot my SSO username?
If you have forgotten your SSO username that you use in order to login to the Stay Smart Online Alert Service web site, then click on the link to Forgot username? from the Login page: https://www.ssoalertservice.net.au/user/ Follow the prompts an...

Why didn't I receive my confirmation email after registering for the SSO Alert Service via the web portal?
If you have successfully completed the registration form for the Stay Smart Online Alert Service but did not receive the confirmation email which you need to respond to in order to finalise the registration and subscription process, this is m...

Who is the SSO Alert Service suitable for?
The SSO Alert Service is aimed primarily at Australian based home Internet users and Australian small to medium sized enterprises with low awareness of e-security issues and low understanding of technical issues ...

What is the Stay Smart Online Alert Service?
The Stay Smart Online (SSO) Alert Service is a free subscription based service that provides home Internet users and small to medium enterprises (SMEs) with information on the latest computer network threats and vulnerabilities in simple, non-technical...

How to create strong passwords
These days, any regular internet user is faced with the task of remembering large numbers of passwords. In some cases, particularly for the user accounts set up on your own computer, you have the opportunity to create strong passwords ...

How do I subscribe to RSS feeds?
To subscribe to RSS feeds, read the detailed instructions on page 3 of the  Stay Smart Online User Guide (File size: 319Kb)

SSO User Guide


What do I do if I have forgotten my SSO password?
If you have forgotten your SSO password that you use in order to login to the Stay Smart Online Alert Service web site, then click on the link to Forgot password? from the Login page: https://www.ssoalertservice.net.au/user/ Follow the prompts and ste...

Why don't the RSS feeds include my memorable phrase?
RSS feeds are automatically drawn from content on this web site. Therefore, it is not necessary to include the unique memorable phrase to check the authenticity of the feed. This can be achieved by ...

What is an RSS feed?
RSS is an acronym for Really Simple Syndication. It is an XML format designed for sharing web content like news headlines and announcements. An RSS service consists of a list of items, each of which contains a headline, date, description, and a link to...

What is the purpose of the unique memorable phrase?
When you subscribe to the Stay Smart Online Service by email and/or RSS feeds, you are asked to create your own unique memorable phrase ...

What is an alert?
A Stay Smart Online Alert will provide information about computer threats or software or hardware bugs which poses a HIGH risk to the Internet users and/or their computer's files and/or the security of their computer system itself ...

What is an advisory?
Stay Smart Online Advisories provide information about computer software or hardware bugs which pose a MEDIUM RISK to Internet users' computer files and/or the security of their computer systems ...

What is a newsletter?
Stay Smart Online Newsletters are produced monthly and may include general information about the Stay Smart Online Alert Service; information about trends in Internet based attacks; quick tips or reminders about how to improve your online security; and ...

What is a fact sheet?
Stay Smart Online Fact Sheets include specific details and instructions about how to take a recommended course of action aimed at helping subscribers to configure their computers securely, or help them to recover from certain types of attacks on their computers ...