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Australia marks zombie awareness week

Australia is this week marking National Zombie Awareness Week to highlight the online threats posed by computers whose internet security has been compromised leading to them being turned into bots or zombies.

Cyber crooks routinely employ zombie computers to control other machines, spread malware and even distribute spam messages that can lead to sensitive information being stolen.

The Australian Internet Industry Association, which is behind the awareness campaign, describes zombies as compromised computers and botnets as herds of Zombies.

"They are often created by exploiting vulnerabilities in your PC and inserting malicious software or malware usually without the user knowing," the organisation states.

"Often it is hidden as part of some software or website that the user was interested in," adds the organisation, which says infection may occur through unsecured wireless home networks.

To keep such online security threats at bay, consumers are advised to ensure their machines are equipped with regularly updated internet security software and to have safe online practices.

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