FW: Important UBB News For Licensed Users

[renzo.toma () VERONICA NL (Renzo Tomà)]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2000 23:12:32 -0800
From: Ultimate Bulletin Board News <news () ultimatebb com>
To: UBB License Holders <news () ultimatebb com>
Subject: Important UBB News For Licensed Users

Important News About Your Ultimate Bulletin Board ---

You are receiving this email because you are a licensed UBB user and we have
some important annoucements concerning UBB security, upcoming changes in US
law
that affect your forums, and more.

SECURITY ENHANCEMENTS IN UBB 5.44a

Hackers are everywhere these days.  We've all read about the hackers
(temporarily)
bringing down some of the largest portal sites on the web in the last few
weeks.
 They also prey on smaller sites, as well.  It is important to be prepared.
With that in mind, and based on some potential weaknesses we have found in
our
system, we have taken action!

This past week, we released UBB Version 5.44a, which contains a few internal
code changes designed to prevent hacker abuse in your forums.  We HIGHLY
recommend
that all users upgrade to the latest version to ensure maximum security for
their
boards.  Upgrade zip files are available in our Members Area at
http://www.ultimatebb.com/ubbmembers/ubbmembers.shtml.
 Those of you with non expiring licenses whose access to the Members Area
has
expired may also download this security-enhanced version at no charge...
just
email us at sales () ultimatebb com if you fall into this category.

Further suggestions for the safety/security of your message board are posted
online at:

UNIX: http://www.ultimatebb.com/ubbhelp/unix_secure.html
NT: http://www.ultimatebb.com/ubbhelp/nt_secure.html

NEW US LAW AFFECTS YOU -- CHILDREN'S ONLINE PROTECTION ACT

We want to remind you that the upcoming "Children's Online Protection Act"
becomes
law in the United States on April 20, 2000.  This may affect even non-US
sites.
 This is an excellent law, designed to protect minors from being victimized
on
the web, but full compliance requires changes to the registration process.

We will release code on March 21 to allow you to comply with the new law,
which
requires children under 12 to have parental approval before giving out any
information
about themselves online.  The built-in UBB registration process will thus be
changing to take this law into account.  We encourage ALL UBBers to upgrade
their
UBBs after this upgrade is made available in order to follow the new US
guidelines.

Keep in mind that compliance is still your responsibility... we will merely
be
providing you with the tools to follow the new law.  Check out our website
in
the coming weeks for more details.

OPENTOPIC - COMING SOON!

Many of you have heard us talk about our "enterprise edition" of the UBB.
Our
work on that project is nearly complete; we are in beta testing at this
moment.
 OpenTopic promises to be one of the most scalable, feature-rich, and
customizable
message board systems in the world.  Note that OpenTopic is not a
downloadable
Perl program, like the UBB.  It is a high-end, hosted application, with
robust
administration features.  Soon you will be able to completely outsource your
message board needs- no more upgrade hassles, concerns about server support,
or scalability issues.  New features included in OpenTopic- forum moderator
queue
options, support for file attachments, topic ratings, polls, flexible
security
groups, and TOTAL control of page display (no cookie-cutter template
system).

Pricing is not yet available, but we will have pricing plans that can fit
any
budget... note that OpenTopic is not a UBB upgrade.  It is a completely new
service.
 We've taken all of the feedback from our thousands of customers to create a
revoltionary product.  It can look exactly like your current UBB, if  you
like,
or it can like like whatever your imagination inspires.  And you can still
have
complete control over your forums- even though we are hosting it for you.

Stay tuned to http://www.infopop.com for information in the coming weeks.

Oh yes, the UBB will still be available, in case you are wondering!!

That's the news for new.  Please do upgrade your UBB to address the security
concerns mentioned above!

Thanks for using the UBB,

Ted O'Neill
CEO, Infopop Corporation