Known as the icode, the new code recognises that both ISPs and consumers must share responsibility for minimising the risks inherent in using the internet.

The icode builds on the ACMA (Australian Communications and Media Authority) Australian Internet Security Initiative (AISI), as well as other sources of security intelligence which showed that malware-infested computers were a growing risk that required coordinated industry, consumer and government responses.

The code provides a consistent approach for Australian ISPs to help inform, educate and protect their customers in relation to cybersecurity. IIA chief executive Peter Coroneos said that the code is designed to respond to the challenges that users face from using computers which essentially have been hijacked, with consequences of such use including identity theft, fraud, and increases in spam.

The IIA believes a uniform national approach is warranted. The code will deliver a standard set of best practices for ISPs to follow to preserve the integrity of their networks.

In other technology news, a plenary conference of the Asian-Oceanian Computing Industry Organisation (ASOCIO) was recently held in Vietnam, hosted by the Vietnam Software Association.

ASOCIO is a group of IT industry associations which represent the interests of 28 countries in Asia and Oceania region, including Australia. ASOCIO’s members account for more than 10,000 information and communication technology (ICT) companies and represent approximately $344 billion of ICT revenue in the region.