Printers, routers, IP cameras, sensors and other Internet-connected devices are increasingly used to launch large distributed denial of service attacks, security firm Prolexic warned in a report this week.

Network security policy management vendor, AlgoSec, has inked a new distribution deal with Observatory Crest, and is expanding its Australian presence.

Andrew Auernheimer, a hacker who was convicted last November of illegally accessing emails and other data belonging to 120,000 iPad 3G owners from AT&T's networks is seeking leniency in his sentencing from the court.

There never will be a perfect computer or network defense. Computer security is a constantly elevating game of cat-and-mouse. As quickly as you address the latest threat, attackers have already developed a new technique to access your network and compromise your PCs. But if you focus on the fundamentals, you can minimize your risk and defend against most attacks.

Organizations have spent vast sums of money on security systems and, when deployed and operated correctly, they play a key role in safeguarding the organization. However, most systems have one critical dependency: The traffic flowing through must be readable. If the traffic is encrypted, many systems are almost completely useless, giving the system owner a false sense of security.

Tired of regulators from three or four federal agencies auditing your network security compliance every year? A congressional task force recommends a super-standard that would cut the number of annual audits back to just one.

Today is Patch Tuesday again. The ninth of the year already. Microsoft has released five new security bulletins, and Adobe has joined the party with some security patching of its own today. With all of the vulnerabilities and updates, though, you need to take a step back to prioritize and figure out which patches are most urgent.

An attack on a Dutch company that issues certificates used to authenticate websites was state-sponsored, according to the chief executive of Comodo, a company that also issues digital certificates and suffered a similar setback in March.

A router is the heart of your network, so it deserves to be chosen carefully. Any router will share your Internet connection amongst your computers and other networkable devices (smartphones, tablets, and so on), but better models provide features that will enhance your network and its performance. Whether you're seeking a business- or consumer-class router, here are the eight most essential features to look for.

Security pros and government officials warn of a possible cyber 9/11 involving banks, utilities, other companies, or the Internet

Laptops used to be the only devices on the company's wireless network. But Wi-Fi has become a ubiquitous standard used by a host of devices -- including desktop PCs, laptops, netbooks, tablets, smartphones, printers, storage devices, and projectors.

There are more than a few critics of cloud computing, even at PCWorld; I'm probably one of them. But I've been turning over in my mind different perspectives on the cloud. I've tried to set aside the views of the IT executive, who seems to dominate the debate.

Yet another survey is indicating that security is a big issue for those intending to take up cloud computing.

In recent weeks WikiLeaks has been targeted by denial-of-service (DoS) attacks, had its hosting service shutdown, been bounced off of Amazon hosting, had its funding through PayPal, MasterCard and other sources shut down, and its leader arrested on sexual assault-related charges. The fact that WikiLeaks remains stubbornly and defiantly online holds some lessons for other sites when it comes to resilience and survivability.

The continuing saga of Google's wireless snooping and the maelstrom it's generated won't end anytime soon.

Attackers seeking to do harm or mischief to networks work with an ever expanding arsenal of tools that sometimes seem to be the stuff of spy fiction, but they are all too real.