Microsoft by midyear plans to release a test version of a new Internet Explorer (IE) browser that better protects users from scams and malicious code while surfing the Web, the company announced Tuesday.

It's a pity that discussions on the subject of security vulnerabilities associated with virtual servers tend to focus on Windows: If a virtual machine is running as a guest on a Windows host, an exploit on the guest VM can climb up to the Windows host, and then all hell can break loose. There's more to securing virtual servers than not running VMs as guests of a Windows host. If cyberfelons gain local or remote access to a VMware Virtual Center console, your world is their oyster. This seems like a fairly obscure potential risk -- Virtual Center is pretty easy to lock down -- but are there other risks unique to virtual servers?

The creator of Loverspy, software to surreptitiously observe individuals' online activities, has been indicted for allegedly violating US federal computer privacy laws, local and federal authorities announced Friday.

Viruses that target handhelds can be even more dangerous than their cousins that attack PCs, spawning self-replicating programs that hide easily, a security researcher told an audience of security professionals at the Black Hat Briefings conference in Las Vegas last week.

Users of some Cisco Systems' products have been shocked to discover that the Blaster worm that has been burrowing its way into Microsoft's Windows-enabled systems around the world is also affecting some Cisco gear.

Firewall technology has evolved significantly since the days of basic packet filters and network address translation. We now have not just firewalls but “intrusion detection devices”, which do far more complex things to the traffic they see in an attempt to prevent the network from being attacked. So where are firewalls going?

With the spread of the dangerous new W32/Blaster Windows worm slowing, attention is shifting to Microsoft Corp.'s efforts to help its customers patch vulnerable systems, with some accusing the company of providing inadequate protection and unreliable information about protecting their computers.

Imagine spending three years and millions of dollars to plan a campus-style LAN for 10,500 PCs and 900 servers, knowing it would only be in place for three weeks, with thousands of TV and magazine reporters watching to see if it works?

The increased use of the Internet and e-commerce initiatives has increased security spending among Asian enterprises, according to IDC.

Enterprises on the lookout for answers to security struggles have plenty of wares to pick from here at the NetWorld+Interop 2004 conference, as vendors such as FaceTime Communications, RedSiren, and Senforce Technologies introduced offerings.

Symantec is fishing for dollars with a new service designed to help companies combat the ongoing epidemic of online identity theft, or "phishing," scams.

Rumours of a troublesome new type of trojan program were confirmed last Thursday when two security companies issued alerts about a new threat known variously as "Trojan 55808" and "Stumbler."

The quick spread of the recent Sobig.C virus may owe more to the advances in spamming techniques than to the skill of an anonymous virus writer, according to a leading antivirus company.

Microsoft's controversial Palladium security initiative's ability to kill off the antivirus industry by eliminating vulnerabilities lies within the same realm of probability as a collision between the earth and the moon says antivirus guru Dr Eugene Dozortsev.