From Computer World

Contest targets to include iPhone, Droid and BlackBerry, IE, Firefox and Chrome

A hacking contest next month will award cash prizes of $15,000 to anyone who can break into an iPhone, BlackBerry Bold, Droid or Nokia smartphone.

From Daily Tech

Groups urge Muslims to ask for pat down instead

Airport security is and will continue to be an important topic in the post 9/11 world. There is a fine line between security and the invasion of a traveler's privacy. Many are claiming that the new full body scanners at some airports that show images of the human body in detail are an invasion of privacy.

From DarkReading

Oxford University's technology provides secure channel for making peer-to-peer and person-to-person payments

Researchers from the University of Oxford have created a protocol for making electronic payments via mobile phones: The technology provides a secure channel that its inventors hope will be rolled into smartphone mobile banking or other payment applications.

From InformationWeek

The patch is designed to sniff out activation hacks that allow users to bypass software authentication process.

Microsoft will introduce an update to Windows 7 in the coming days that will allow it to ensure users are running genuine copies of the operating system and have not used any activation exploits, or hacks, to defeat the company's validation process.

From Daily Tech

Hacker website was closed in November 2009

Hacking into a government or business computer system can yield information for hackers that can be sold for significant profit. Hacking attacks around the world have been increasing steadily and many of the attacks are believed to originate inside of China.

From DarkReading

In tests, algorithm was an efficient estimator of worm virulence and could determine the size of the susceptible host population after only a few infections

Self-propagating worms are malicious computer programs, which, after being released, can spread throughout networks without human control, stealing or erasing hard drive data, interfering with pre-installed programs and slowing, even crashing, home and work computers. Now a new code, or algorithm, created by Penn State researchers targets the "stealthiest" of these worms, containing them before an outbreak can occur.

From El Reg:

Now you see it, maintenant... non

Top flight outsourcing firm Tata Consulting Services appeared to have lost control of its website to hackers today, with the domain apparently being touted for sale.

From PC World

Microsoft warned on Wednesday that a flaw in its Internet Explorer browser gives attackers access to files stored on a PC under certain conditions.

From DarkReading

The Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2009 would fund R&D for a comprehensive cybersecurity plan that would involve the cooperation of several federal agencies

The U.S. House of Representatives is considering its first major cybersecurity bill, following a warning earlier this week from a top intelligence official that U.S. critical infrastructure is vulnerable to serious threats.