The number of hacking events of late is making our heads spin at CNET. By our count, there have been more than 40 computer attacks, network intrusions, or data breaches in the last few months. And they seem to be a daily occurrence.

In previous coverage we've noted that it seems to be open hacking season, written about some of the hackers and groups who are behind the attacks and speculated on their motives, so we thought we'd provide a chronological chart listing the attacks so we could ...

My favorite security show each year is one at which there are no sales pitches, the speakers favor black T-shirts and dyed hair over suits and ties, and the talks tend to be controversial enough to prompt legal threats and even arrests.

I'm talking about Defcon, which starts Thursday and runs through Sunday. The event turns part of the Las Vegas strip into a geek equivalent of "Animal House" for a three-day weekend every summer.

Started in 1993 by Jeff Moss, aka Dark Tangent, Defcon bring...

Mark Abene first started using computers when he was about 9 years old, and by 12 he was exploring the electronic frontier from his home in Queens, New York. On bulletin board systems he swapped information with other phone phreakers and hackers, who formed the "Masters of Deception" group and inspired a book.

Abene, whose handle was "Phiber Optik," later received a one-year prison sentence for computer-related activities committed when he was a minor from a judge who said he wanted to send ...