Tomw Communications Pty Ltd - Media Release

Y2K Won't Bug Us - But Viruses Might Bite - Says Bug Buster

Wednesday 29 December 1999 - Tom Worthington FACS, former Director of Technical Issues for the Australian Defence Department's Information Systems Year 2000 Project, says that we may have more risk from fear of the millennium bug than from the bug itself. He also warns that computer viruses masquerading as the bug might cause more damage that any Y2K failures. Previously a senior IT policy maker for government and now an independent consultant and Visiting Fellow at the Australian National University, Worthington will be part of an on-line effort by thousands of IT professionals around the world to track and report on the bug over the new year period. He wrote a brief article on the year 2000 problem for Computerworld magazine in 1987 and issued a warning to the IT profession while president of the Australian Computer Society in 1997.

Worthington said:

"IT professionals are generally confident that potential Y2K problems are under control. But teams will be on duty at the Emergency Management Australia Y2K operations center in Canberra over the new year, as will many Government and industry centers across Australia. Many of us around the world will be using the Internet to monitor the situation and provide a second tier of support."

"The probability of major problems in Australia is very low. Australia's IT systems are in better shape for the start of next year than they have ever been at any time in the past. The major problems may come from normal computer and other problems being incorrectly attributed to the Y2K bug and causing unnecessary public worry. There is also the potential for viruses masquerading as Y2K bugs causing damage."

"An unfortunate example of what not to do was given by the Deputy Premier of Western Australia in September last year, when he issued a media release warning of a computer virus. The virus was real, but the media release caused unnecessary public concern. I spent a busy Saturday as a result calming down worried people from the media, so they could provide information to the public. Hopefully we will see a more measured response to any problems which do arise in the new year."

ENDS

This media release is available on the web at: http://www.tomw.net.au/media/tw991229.html

Tom Worthington is a Visiting Fellow in the Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology at the Australian National University. He is an electronic business consultant, author and information technology professional, with 17 years experience in information technology, including nine years on high level IT policy and five in Internet applications. He established Tomw Communications Pty Ltd. as an electronic business, electronic publishing and information technology consulting company after leaving the Defence Department in August 1999. The second edition of "Net Traveller", Tom Worthington's book on Internet use, was released in November. Royalties from the edition are donated to the charity Technical Aid to the Disabled. A free edition is available on the web at: http://www.tomw.net.au/nt

Media Enquires:

Tom Worthington FACS, Email: tom.worthington@tomw.net.au Tel: 0419 496 150

TomW Communications Pty Ltd, PO Box 13, Belconnen ACT 2617, Australia

E-mail: tomw.communications@tomw.net.au Ph: 0419 496150 A.C.N. 088 714 309

Reports:

As far as Australian companies are concerned, such problems are likely to coincide with the official return to work, according to Mr Tom Worthington, a visiting fellow at the Australian National University and director of the Defence Department's technical issues, systems year 2000 project for the first six months of last year.

"The big test will take place when everyone returns to normal business. I am not expecting catastrophes, but there could be problems that go beyond a nuisance," Mr Worthington said.
Y2K relief boosts markets, By Emma Connors and Tony Boyd, Australian Financial Review, Tuesday, January 4, 2000