Chris Nerney

Two recent security-related surveys raise troubling questions for individuals and enterprise computing professionals alike. The first, from the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO), reveals that data mining efforts by the federal government have become widespread. Nearly 200 projects designed to collect and analyze personal information on American citizens either are being carried out or planned […]

Stocks recovered from a poor start Friday to finished mixed on a day that saw weak jobs data and a conviction for Martha Stewart in her trial on charges involving her sale of ImClone shares. The Dow Jones gained 7.6 points, or .07 percent, to close at 10596, while the Nasdaq slipped 7.5, or 0.4 […]

There was an amusingly understated headline on one of Jupitermedia’s sites last week. It read: MyDoom Testing Your Patience? Why, yes it is. It is indeed. In fact, all of the Internet’s various cyber-nuisances — virus writers, hackers, spammers — are testing the patience of virtually anyone who depends on networking and Internet technology, from […]

The first trading session of 2004 started with a bang Friday before tumbling by the final bell, despite positive economic news. The technology-heavy Nasdaq eked out a modest gain of 3.3 points to finish at 2007, after having spent most of the trading day around 2020. The Dow Jones hit its highest level (10,527) in […]

After finishing above 2,000 Monday for the first time in almost two years, the Nasdaq tumbled below that mark in early New Year’s Eve trading. The tech-heavy Nasdaq was down 13 to 1997 shortly before noon Wednesday. Meanwhile, the Dow Jones, despite a strong start in the early hours of trading, tumbled into the red […]

I consider myself a Christmas kind of guy, but if there’s one group of people for whom I can extend no genuine holiday cheer, it’s spammers. If only our politicians felt the same way. Unfortunately, they were in a giving mood this week as Congress on Monday passed the Can Spam Act of 2003. The […]

Major U.S. stock indexes finished mixed Wednesday, thanks to a late-afternoon selloff and despite some positive economic news. Only the Dow managed to finish in the black, climbing 19.8 points to close at 9873, a 0.2% gain. The Nasdaq fell an identical amount, 19.8 points, to 1960, a loss of 1.0%. Earlier in the session […]

That loud groaning sound you hear is the collective moan from millions of Google users who just heard that their beloved search engine – the most popular, widely used tool on the Web — might be purchased by Microsoft. According to the New York Times, Microsoft recently initiated discussions with Google about a partnership or […]

Stocks entered the long Labor Day weekend on a slight up note Friday as new data showed signs of improvement in the manufacturing sector. The data driving Friday’s surge came from the August Chicago Purchasing Managers index, which hit a 15-month high of 58.9, well above predictions of a 56 reading. Economists said the Chicago […]

Traditionally, Labor Day weekend is the last chance of the year for IT pros to get away from their responsibilities and really enjoy themselves before the usual frenetic fall activities begin. This year’s holiday may be different. After all, when you’re half-expecting an emergency call about a devastating virus attack bringing your network to a […]

Three years ago thousands of tech industry workers lived in daily fear that their jobs would vanish as quickly as the Internet stock bubble had popped. While it was a stressful time in IT shops, industry veterans who had been through previous down cycles could at least take comfort in knowing that a vigorous shakeout […]

Nine out of 10 U.S. executives surveyed by Jupiter Research earlier this year cited security as the top factor influencing their decisions regarding deployment of wireless networks. Yet more than half of all enterprises are taking only basic technological precautions — or none at all — to protect their wireless networks, according to a new […]