Microsoft next week is expected to release one patch to correct "critical" security vulnerabilities.

Microsoft is investigating reports of a glitch in one of its December patches that unexpectedly shuts down Internet Explorer 6 (IE6).

Microsoft has released a detailed list of more than 300 hotfixes and security patches included in the upcoming initial service pack (SP1) for its Windows Vista operating system.

Microsoft announced today it plans to release seven patches - three repairing "critical" vulnerabilities - as part of its monthly security update on Tuesday.

This week's news that Apple's QuickTime media player contains a new and "extremely dangerous" flaw served as a perfect lead-in to the release of the latest SANS Top 20, which lists client-side vulnerabilities among the most dangerous threats facing end-users.

Monday marks the unofficial start to the online holiday shopping season, and while experts are predicting record-breaking internet sales this year, security researchers are warning that criminals will be prowling cyberspace more than ever before.

Apple on Monday released a new version of its popular QuickTime media player to resolve seven vulnerabilities, six of which could have been exploited to remotely install malicious code on a user's machine.

Clothing retailer Gap Inc. revealed that a laptop containing the Social Security numbers of 800,000 job applicants was stolen from a third-party vendor. The laptop contained info of job applicants who applied to the company's Old Navy, Banana Republic, Gap and Outlet stores. The vendor, not identified by Gap, contacted law enforcement authorities about the breach. The data was not encrypted.

A legion of data exposures have occurred over the past year, with many affected companies not only being forced to address customer and investor concerns, but also pay fines and adhere to prolonged sets of requirements administered by the Federal Trade Commission. So just how is news of such breaches, exposures and possible thefts affecting the way organizations -- large and small -- focus on information security plans?

Vista worldVista was released to corporate customers the same day as the latest version of the companys business suite, Microsoft Office 2007. Home consumers can buy the new Windows on Jan. 30. Microsoft has promised that Vista will offer increased and streamlined security as a more powerful and graphically dynamic operating system.