Most security professionals have enough to deal with thanks to insecure passwords – but AT&T seems to want its users to keep them clean, too. The “password restrictions” page for AT&T users says, “The password can’t contain the words “password”, “admin”, “pa$$w0rd” or other common words. The password can’t contain obscene language.”

Britain’s hi-tech government intelligence agency GCHQ should know better than to send passwords in plain text via email – but has been doing so due to “legacy systems”, it admitted in a statement this week.

Emailed wedding invitations have popped back up as a way to distribute malware Will this tactic join other malware-email staples like malicious tax season messages.

Use of pirated and counterfeit Windows software has tripled since 2006, according to analysts IDC – creating a fertile breeding ground for malware. For the report, entitled ‘The Dangerous World of Pirated and Counterfeit Software’, IDC analysts conducted 533 tests on counterfeit software from P2P and web sources.

The value of educating people about cyber security is hotly debated these days, with opposing views on security awareness training coming from Bruce Schneier and Ira Winkler. Stephen Cobb weighs in.

The new trend for “always online” games such as SimCity and Blizzard’s Diablo 3 may be putting gamers at risk, experts warn. The games, which require an internet connection even for single-player gaming, are designed to protect game companies from piracy.

British cyber security experts from intelligence services such as MI5 are to join forces with 160 top British firms to defend against cyber attacks.

Aleksandr Matrosov reveals changes in banking Trojan Carberp relating to Java/Spy.Banker (AgentX.jar) and gaining remote access using legitimate software as backdoor components.

Stepping up protection of the Apple ID falters as password reset bug emerges before two-step verification is fully implemented.

Malicious spam may still be spreading across Yahoo! Mail accounts. We show you how to turn on the added verification process that Yahoo! offers.