A variant of the Trojan horse attacks known as Storm Worm emerged Monday, targeting people who post blogs and notices to bulletin boards.

Storm Worm emerged in January and raged across the globe in the form of e-mails with attachments that, when opened, loaded malicious software onto victims’ PCs, commandeering the machines so they could be used for further attacks.

The new Storm Worm variant attacks the machines of unsuspecting users when they open an e-mail attachment, click on a malicious e-mail link or visit a malicious site, said Dmitri Alperovitch, principal research scientist at Secure Computing.

Parallels, a software company that specializes in enabling Mac users to run other operating systems without rebooting, has released an update to its Parallels Desktop software.

The biggest update to the new version is Coherence, a feature that enables Mac users running Parallels to run and access Windows applications from their Mac desktops via virtualization rather than switching between operating systems.

iQuate announced the release of iQNetScan 6, the latest version of its clientless PC inventory and IT asset management suite.

Traditionally regarded as an IT compliance and risk management solution, the latest release of iQNetScan contains new functionality that extends the capabilities of traditional anti-virus management consoles. iQNetScan will now automatically scan all PCs connected to a company network to detect if anti-virus definitions are up-to-date, request the definition be updated if necessary, and generate exception alerts for IT personnel should updates fail.

State lawmakers in Massachusetts are considering a bill that would shift the financial burden associated with data breaches from banks to retailers.

If passed the law would be the first of its kind to make retailers and other companies pay for the costs related to customer notification and credit card reissuing.

The proposed legislation is broad, forcing retailers to cover all losses associated with a data breach notification, including the canceling of credit cards, and the cost of freezing accounts and credit information in cases of identity theft. Currently banks share a large portion of the financial burden.

Microsoft’s UAC in its Vista operating system release was meant to signify that finally, the company has gotten serious about securing Windows by limiting a user’s rights during day-to-day computer usage.

It’s come to signify something much less than security or trust in the minds of some security experts, though. Security expert Joanna Rutkowska kicked off the dissection of UAC in her blog, and the latest salvo against User Account Control was heaved by Symantec Research Scientist Ollie Whitehouse with a Feb. 20 posting titled "An Example of Why UAC Prompts in Vista Can’t Always Be Trusted."

The upshot: Microsoft has admitted that yes, UAC is liable to social engineering.

Being courteous is a fundamental rule of interviewing. But what do you do when the interviewer’s behavior is offensive? You want to ace the interview and leave with your self-respect intact. Here are some strategies for responding tactfully to a discourteous interviewer.

In Windows Vista, there is a new software called Windows Mobile Device Center, which replaces ActiveSync to synchronize your files and information to your handheld. By default Microsoft included some illustrated generic images for either Smartphones or Pocket PCs. This is well and good, but this short tutorial will show you how to change the image.

A company called Office Live said Friday it has filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against Microsoft over the software giant’s use of "Office Live" for its on-demand productivity tools.

Office Live, which runs sites such as Legalofficelive.com, Realtorsofficelive.com and Accountantsofficelive.com, offers free professional advice to consumers and offers customer leads to businesses. The company is seeking an injunction to prevent Microsoft from using the "Office Live" name.

The most problematic database security breaches often don’t come from hackers, but from the inside. With that in mind, the software company CoSoSys has released Secure it Easy for Windows Vista, software that blocks the unauthorized transfer of data to portable storage devices.

Recent research done by Forrester Consulting found that 72 percent of respondents thought data loss of USB drives and removable media was the No. 1 concern for endpoint security. Removable storage devices could be used by a disgruntled employee to smuggle data out of the office, or could accidentally upload virus-ridden files into a network when plugged into a PC, CoSoSys officials said.

In a call with analysts, Intel officials said the company would deliver a 3.0GHz version of its quad-core Clovertown processor for servers, as well as deliver dual-core Xeon chips using the company’s 45-nanometer manufacturing process.

Executives with Intel added that the company would also introduce a low-watt, quad-core server chip in the coming weeks. A specific date for this chip, which will have a 50-watt thermal design, has not been announced.