Security Topic Center

Get the latest news and in-depth analysis about IT security, including information about viruses and other malware, security patches, data protection and more

Update: Countries question Google on Glass privacy

Privacy officials from six countries and the European Commission are pushing Google to answer questions about privacy issues surrounding its digital eyewear called Glass.
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FBI director defends phone surveillance program

A telephone records surveillance program run by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation and National Security Agency raises serious privacy concerns and should be reined in, some U.S. senators said Wednesday.

Microsoft launches security bounty programs for Windows 8.1 and IE 11 Preview

Microsoft will pay security researchers for finding and reporting vulnerabilities in the preview version of IE11, for finding novel techniques to bypass exploit mitigations present in Windows 8.1 or later versions and for coming up with new ideas to fend off exploits.

Java 7 Update fixes 40 security issues, turns on certificate revocation check

Oracle addressed 40 security issues in Java and enabled online certificate revocation checking by default in its scheduled critical patch update for Java on Tuesday.

Apple pours OS X Snow Leopard another Java fix

Apple on Tuesday patched Java 6 for OS X Snow Leopard, Lion and Mountain Lion, fixing 34 flaws that Oracle addressed the same day for Windows.

Microsoft, Samsung, HP join to stop Windows piracy

Hewlett-Packard and Samsung Electronics will now ensure that their PCs in China are installed with licensed Windows and Office software as part of new agreements signed with Microsoft meant to fight piracy.

Google asks to make surveillance orders public, cites First Amendment

Google has asked the court overseeing terrorism-related surveillance programs at the U.S. National Security Agency to allow the company to publish information on the number of surveillance requests it receives.

Expanded '2-person rule' could help plug NSA leaks

The National Security Agency is creating new processes aimed at making it harder for systems administrators to misuse privileged access to agency systems, NSA officials told the U.S. House Intelligence Committee Tuesday.

Source code for Carberp financial malware is for sale at bargain price

The source code for the Carberp banking Trojan program is being offered for sale on the underground market at a very affordable price, which could result in additional Carberp-based financial malware being developed in the future, according to researchers from Russian cybercrime investigations firm Group-IB.

Google Glass raises international privacy concerns

The Canadian privacy commissioner and 36 other data protection authorities on Tuesday raised privacy concerns about Google Glass in an open letter to CEO Larry Page.

U.S. officials claim surveillance programs helped stop 50 terrorist plots

U.S. law enforcement agencies have disrupted more than 50 terrorist plots in the U.S. and other countries with the help of controversial surveillance efforts at the U.S. National Security Agency, government officials said Tuesday.

Prism doesn't have CIOs in a panic -- yet

Revelations over the U.S. National Security Agency's Prism surveillance program have much of the general public in uproar, but in terms of the controversy's impact to enterprise IT, some CIOs have measured, albeit watchful, reactions.

Shootout results: Best security tools for small business

If you run a small business, you have a lot of choices to protect your network. You can buy a consumer-grade router for less than $50, you can spend more than $4,000 for an enterprise firewall, or you can select something in between.

Cisco impresses with first crack at next-gen firewall

When we tested next-generation firewalls last May, at least one important security vendor wasn't there: Cisco, because they weren't ready to be tested. Now that the ASA CX next-generation firewall has had a year to mature, we put the product through its paces, using the same methodology as our last NGFW test.

Lying, prying and spying: Is the NSA worth it?

Is the NSA defending their intellectual property with more success than they protect our country?

IT will have a love-hate relationship with iOS 7, OS X Mavericks and iCloud

Consumers and business users alike will find things to love about OS X Mavericks and iOS 7, says columnist Ryan Faas. But for enterprise IT pros, this week's announcements are a mixed bag.

How to avoid Big Brother's gaze

Deciding on the level of encryption you should be using requires careful consideration.

US government collects Verizon customers' phone metadata ... So what?

A top secret NSA program to collect ALL Verizon customers' call data isn't at all surprising

3 reasons why criminals exploit social networks (and tips to avoid getting scammed)

The popularity and influence of social media continues to increase at lightning speed, and recent events bear evidence to the impact -- both positive and negative --this medium presents. As the tragedy of the Boston Marathon bombing unfolded, millions of people turned to social media for information, and government officials and law enforcement used it to keep the public informed and solicit their help.

Security Manager's Journal: Our network infrastructure has fallen far out of date

The network team is on board with plan to update the devices to current versions, but who will do the work?