Paul Roberts

For computer security experts, 2003 started with the Slammer Internet worm and went downhill from there. The year, which included four major worm and virus outbreaks just in August, has been labelled the "year of the worm" and "the worst year ever" by more than one computer security expert.

VeriSign Inc. is buying Guardent Inc., a managed security service provider (MSSP), for US$140 million in stock and cash, it announced Wednesday.

Network equipment maker Cisco Systems Inc. is warning customers about security holes in its PIX firewall product and firewall software that runs on the Catalyst 6500 Series and 7600 Series switches.

The New Year will offer weary network administrators little respite from a new generation of Internet worms, viruses and targeted hacks that appeared in 2003, according to security experts.

Cisco Systems Inc. is warning customers using its Aironet wireless access points (APs) about a security vulnerability that could allow attackers to obtain keys used to secure communications on wireless networks.

Sun Microsystems Inc. has signed an agreement to purchase identity management software company Waveset Technologies Inc. of Austin, Tex., Sun said Tuesday.

A new e-mail worm is spreading on the Internet and posing as a message from PayPal Inc., the online payment company, in an effort to harvest credit card numbers and account passwords, leading antivirus companies warned on Friday.

Computer code that exploits a critical new software vulnerability in the Windows XP and Windows 2000 operating systems is circulating on the Internet, according to security experts.