Stories by: Angela Gunn

We at Computerworld would be the last to say that science and technology aren't creative pursuits. Still, when most people say, "Oh, she's very creative," they're probably not talking about the subject's ability to perform higher math or engineer a network. Such people might be amazed to learn of the remarkable number of actors, directors, musicians and other celebrities who nurture an inner geek.

Feeling a little left behind in the storm of Second Life happenings? Here are some answers that will catch you up to the potentials of Linden Labs' virtual economy.

Who's involved, what happened and what it means.

What's the problem? A vulnerability newly discovered in Microsoft Internet Explorer could allow an attacker to take over a targeted machine -- even a machine with all its patches up to date.

Cisco Systems has issued patches over the past two days for vulnerabilities in an IOS authorization feature and for weakness that might enable a DDoS (distributed denial of service) attack on certain VPN concentrators.

IT staffers in the past week have been working to fend off attacks related to the recently disclosed Windows Metafile (WMF) vulnerability. With third-party patches already available, Microsoft released the official patch last Thursday, ahead of its original plan of issuing it on Tuesday of this week, which is when it will release its monthly set of security patches and updates. Computerworld Security channel editor Angela Gunn has put together an extensive FAQ on the vulnerability, how it works, what systems are affected and what you can do about it.