• Microsoft brushes off claim Xbox Live accounts were compromised

  Microsoft brushed off a dubious hacker's claim on Thursday that he stole 47 million account credentials for Microsoft's Xbox Live gaming service.

• Security Manager's Journal: NAC deployment means better access control at last

  The deployment has already revealed a whole lot of devices that don't meet the criteria for getting on the corporate network.

• Tibco offers free R to the enterprise

  Hoping to entice more enterprises to use the R statistical programming language directly within their predictive modeling and data visualization jobs, Tibco has released a free version of its R runtime engine.

• The Onion explains how its Twitter account was hacked

  Hackers who commandeered The Onion's Twitter account used simple but effective phishing attacks to obtain passwords, according to a writeup by the publisher's technology team.

• Systems manager arrested for hacking former employer's network

  A 41-year-old man was arrested for allegedly disrupting his former employer's network after he was passed over for promotions, leading him to quit his job and take revenge, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation said.

• Smartphone security: Keep your handset safe

  Once upon a time, a phone was just a phone: It simply made and received calls. The only security you worried about was if someone had picked up in the other room to listen in.

• Firesheep, Blacksheep, and protecting your Wi-Fi data

  Despite the convenience, free public Wi-Fi networks like those found in hotels, Starbucks, and McDonald's are also a serious risk when it comes to your data and personal information.

• Security Manager's Journal: A little housecleaning

  Our manager finds the time and opportunity to cross a few nagging items off of his to-do list.

• Straight talk on security gets employees to listen -- and comply

  Sure, you want users to comply with security edicts, but would you phish your own employees or share your company's hack history? At least some CIOs say yes.

• Retailer hauls Visa to court over $13.3M fine for payment card data breach

  Genesco, a specialty retailer of footwear, sports apparel and related accessories has sued Visa USA for $13.3 million in fines that were assessed against the company after a credit card data breach in 2010.

• China biggest, but not the only country engaged in cyberespionage

  China is by far the most aggressive, but not the only, country attempting the sort of extensive cyberespionage described in security firm Mandiant's dramatic report, released this week.

• When in China, don't leave your laptop alone

  If you travel to China or Russia, assume government or industry spooks will steal your data and install spyware. Here's how to thwart them

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