Security

Recently, many traditional firewall vendors have been adding more capabilities, such as antivirus and antispam, to their security offerings. This all-in-one approach has both proponents and opponents. Proponents say more all-inclusive security devices can simplify the all-too-complex life of an IT m...

As enterprises continue to invest in wireless devices and networks, IT specialists will be faced with the growing challenge of maintaining and improving the security of those networks. In many cases, they are getting the financial assistance they need to achieve this goal. Global spending on overall...

Continuing its transformation into a network security and services provider, VeriSign has agreed to buy privately held network security firm Guardent in a deal valued at $140 million. The stock-and-cash agreement calls for VeriSign to retail all 150 of Guardent's full-time employees and to maintain ...

Check Point Software Technologies has announced it will bolster its security product portfolio by buying privately held Zone Labs, the market leader in personal firewalls, in a deal worth about $205 million in stock and cash. "We've had tremendous interest from customers in recent months in endpoint...

The U.S. Congress has passed the most sweeping anti-spam legislation to date, authorizing creation of a do-not-e-mail list that allows consumers to opt out of all unwanted messages. President Bush has indicated he would sign the so-called CAN SPAM legislation, which could become law as soon as next ...

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and a handful of other law enforcement agencies have charged 125 people with a host of Internet-related crimes, ranging from identity theft and software piracy to auction fraud and hacking. The FBI said those arrested so far in Operation Cyber Sweep are responsibl...

When it comes to fighting traditional crime, tipsters play an integral role in reporting suspicious activities, questionable characters and true confessions. But while few people question the existence of Crime Stopper hotlines or highway billboards, Microsoft's recent plan to offer a bounty for inf...

As companies begin to pay more attention to eliminating spam, a host of software makers are trying to cash in on the trend, giving companies a wealth of options. Even small businesses, always on tight budgets, have an abundance of low-cost choices to choose among. Picking the right one can be a chal...

Microsoft has set up a $5 million "reward fund" to pay bounties to anyone who can track down writers of certain malicious code. Right now, the company is offering to pay two $250,000 bounties for information that leads to the capture and conviction of the authors of the SoBig and Blaster worms. Micr...

As individuals and companies have become more aware of the dangers facing electronic data, demand for security products has skyrocketed. At Zone Labs, a company that makes personal firewall software both for consumers and enterprises, a little insecurity has gone a long way. However, although the co...

Just in time for Halloween, a new spam relay worm has begun to circulate via e-mail attachments, aiming to turn PCs into e-mail-spewing zombies. The worm, dubbed "Mimail.C," is yet another iteration of the hearty W32 malware strain. It affects PCs running Windows 95 through Windows XP and was first ...

Saying that customer data is woefully underprotected on corporate networks connected to the Internet, IBM has unveiled services that aim to make it easier and less expensive for companies to secure that data. Big Blue said it will team with Watchfire to offer the data-privacy services for enterprise...

As IT departments battle trojans, viruses and worms, one particularly nasty critter is still finding myriad ways to slither onto enterprise PCs. Spyware, usually considered an annoyance of home users, has been showing up more often in the corporate world, and it is bad news for business users. If us...

In a bid to reassure customers rattled by a series of headline-grabbing security flaws, Microsoft has said it will launch an initiative to make its products more secure. The push includes another revamp of the company's patch-management process, which has been widely criticized as too cumbersome for...

In a deal that could help reshape a growing segment of the network security space, NetScreen Technologies plans to buy SSL virtual private network firm Neoteris for $265 million in stock and cash. NetScreen said Neoteris' secure sockets layer (SSL) technology will become increasingly important as mo...