This week, Xbox LIVE issued a Service Alert warning that you might receive phishing messages if you play the Xbox game Modern Warfare 2. If you receive a matchmaking message that seems suspicious, ignore it. Microsoft is aware of the problem and is...

A vulnerability is a weakness that enables a cybercriminal to attack computer hardware, software, or services. Companies or individuals sometimes find vulnerabilities in the software of other companies, and there are different ideas about what to do with...

These days almost everything online requires a password. You already know that you should use complicated passwords and that you shouldn't use the same password for every account. Here are more tips on how to create stronger passwords and how to test...

Part of our job is to keep track of the latest Internet threats-viruses, spyware, rogues, bots, zombies, or some other form of insidious cybercrime that hasn't even been invented yet. Since the fix for most of these threats is the same, downloading...

We try to answer as many of your email messages and comment questions as we can. But if you want a faster answer (or a second opinion), try Microsoft Answers . Here, Microsoft support engineers and super geek volunteers from around the world participate...

A friend recently forwarded us the email below because they thought it was a scam. They were right. This email is a great example of three easy ways to detect a scam . Spelling and bad grammar. Cybercriminals are not known for their impeccable...

Microsoft releases security updates on the second Tuesday of every month. Today Microsoft released 17 security updates. 9 updates for Microsoft Windows 1 update for Microsoft Office 1 update for Microsoft Excel 1 update for Microsoft PowerPoint...

We recently received an email from a reader asking us if the security updates that we're always encouraging you to download and install are free. Yes. Security updates from Microsoft are always free. Security updates for Windows help protect against...

Watch experts from Microsoft and other organizations explain how botnets work and how Microsoft and Pfizer helped bring down the Rustock botnet , a notorious source of spam, fraud, and cybercrime. Watch the video from CNBC World Business: Rustock...

A blog reader recently wrote in: "A Facebook friend just told me that if the web browser says http:// and not https:// that my security is compromised. Is this true? How can I fix it?" Your friend is right. Sort of. If you're just browsing...

Last week we released the newest version of the Microsoft web browser, Internet Explorer 9 . With this new version we also introduce the Add-on Performance Advisor which helps keep you safe from add-ons that might slow down your browser. Internet...