Attacks have already begun to appear, including search-engine poisoning attacks designed to direct users to attack pages.

Security firm WebSense reported in a security alert that attacks began to appear within hours of the iPad's unveiling. Specially crafted sites have been loaded with keywords in order to appear on Google searches for terms such as 'Apple Tablet'.

The company noted that many of the sites redirect users to attack sites that attempt to trick users into purchasing and installing fake anti-virus software.

Symantec also warned users of attacks playing on the interest in Apple's new device. The company said that cyber-criminals will try to defraud users with fake retail and promotional offers for free or discounted iPads.

"The excitement over the iPad has been building for months now, so it's only to be expected that its announcement would spark a huge spike in search traffic relating to certain terms," said Candid Wueest, a researcher at Symantec.

"Sadly, this is just the kind of opportunity fraudsters like to exploit by poisoning search terms, and we can also expect to see iPad-related spam and phishing attacks hitting consumers hard over the coming weeks."

Internet users are advised to keep system and security software updated, be wary of unsolicited email and instant messages, and avoid any unknown or suspicious retail offers.

Mystery app plagues Facebook users

Hackers target social networking site again.  An unnamed app doing the rounds on Facebook could spell trouble.

"Users are told in the warning that they can find the 'Unnamed app' by going to 'Settings'/'Application Settings' and then choosing 'Add to Profile' from the drop-down box," said Cluley in a blog post.

"Sure enough, when I went to look on a Facebook account, I found an 'Unnamed app'."

Whether the application is malicious or not remains a mystery, according to Cluley. "It seems to me that the only sin it may have committed might be to have been given a daft unhelpful name," he said.

"According to Facebook itself, it appears to be a buggy presentation of the boxes tab that appears on users' Facebook profiles."

However, hackers have exploited the warning messages and created web pages that relate to the 'unnamed' application. Cluley said that, by using search engine optimisation tools, the hackers have taken their pages to the top of search results.

"If you happen to stumble across one of these malicious sites after searching for information about the 'Facebook Unnamed app' you might find yourself infected by fake anti-virus software designed to trick you out of your hard-earned cash," said Cluley.

Sophos has identified the malware on these infected web pages as Mal/FakeVirPk-A

Acer equipment for 2010 Olympic Winter Games success!

As a Worldwide Partner of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games, Acer is providing more than 6500 pieces of computing equipment and more than 130 engineers and technicians to support the smooth running of what is probably the most complex sporting event in the world.

During the Olympic Winter Games, a large number of critical applications will be running on our equipment. Acer notebooks, desktops, computer monitors and servers, will be the core of the computer system that will support the deployment of the sporting events in all venues over a 16-day period. Equipment will be subjected to severe weather conditions, numerous challenges and will run continuously for 24 hours a day under constant attention of Acer IT specialists and engineers.

Acer is ready to support the Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver!