Stories by Joan Goodchild

George Waller from StrikeForce Technologies demonstrations how this malicious software sneaks onto your computer and then steals your sensitive data

Whether it is on the phone, online or in person, here are ten lies hackers, phishers and social engineers will tell you to get what they want

This workspace contains 10 security mistakes. Can you spot the errors that put confidential information at risk?

The earliest worms and viruses were created for geeky fun and did little harm - oh, how times have changed. Here are 20 worms, viruses and botnets that show the evolution of malware, from Creeper to Flame.

In our first Rogues Gallery, we looked at ten infamous social engineers -- con men who exploited human weaknesses rather than technical vulnerabilities.

Two years ago, Dave Kennedy, a penetration tester, social engineering expert and contributor to the website social-engineer.com, wanted to create a tool for pen testers to simulate social engineering attacks.

Rates of fraud dipped slightly this year, according to Kroll's report. But, increasingly, it is being committed by folks right under your nose.

You may now be savvy enough to know that when a friend reaches out on Facebook and says they've been mugged in London and are in desperate need of cash, that it's a scam. But social engineers, the criminals that pull off these kinds of ploys by trying to trick you, are one step ahead.

A scam that has been making its way around Twitter for some time has resurfaced recently and promises to increase a user's followers, but really gives control of one's account to a questionable third party.

As more people create Facebook profiles (500 million and growing), and sign on to the many social media sites available today, hiring managers are finding they have new opportunities to get background information on job candidates.

Boston-based Bay Cove Human Services is a non-profit organization that offers assistance and service to 4,000 people and families in Massachusetts. CIO Hilary Croach has several technology challenges to contend with. For starters, the agency has its hands in a number of service areas, including helping individuals with developmental disabilities, mental illness, drug and alcohol addiction, and those who need support with aging. With about 140 locations around Eastern Massachusetts, Bay Cove's employees and IT operations are scattered.

Malware creators are already using the news of Osama Bin Laden's death as a opportunity to try and dupe people into clicking on malicious links. According to cloud-security firm Zscaler, researchers were already seeing malicious sites emerge to capitalize on the news within hours of the announcement.

Notorious spam botnet Rustock has gone quiet and security analysts aren't sure why.

In its recent annual security report, Cisco predicted VOIP abuse as a potential area for cyber crime growth.

Published figures estimating the size and scope of botnets are often inaccurate and do not reflect the threat these compromised networks pose to security, according to research released this week by ENISA, the European Network and Information Security Agency.