Adobe investigates reports of a zero-day exploit targeting its PDF Reader—a very attractive target for criminals. (For more on the crimeware economy, see Dark Reading's reports on Russian cyber mob pricing.)

Twitter warns users by email of account compromises—this email is real. Google suffered an unexplained service outage in much of Asia this morning. Scammers try to spook Internet users with fears of credit card fraud. Other phishers offer (implausibly) a $100 McDonald's gift card to Facebook users via a dodgy survey.

The image-stealing Trojan reported yesterday is uploading files to an Iraqi ftp server. (The exploit appears to be a criminal rather than an espionage operation.) South Carolina's data breach may now affect 200,000 additional taxpayers.

Lawyers are fingered as a source of cyber vulnerability. One criticism (that they inhibit information-sharing by warning clients of legal obstacles) seems unfair, the other (that law practices as a sector tend to be careless about cyber security) better grounded.

Cisco patches a TACACS+ Authentication Bypass vulnerability.

IBM sees service consolidation as a path to better security. Boeing announces layoff plans; other government contractors prepare to retrench as US budget sequestration approaches. Britain's GCHQ rolls out its public-private cyber security partnership: BAE's Detica will be a major contributor. The Air Force extends its NETCENTS I contract and increases the vehicle's ceiling tenfold.

An industry-academic consortium crowdsources Botnet hunting. The SANS Institute honors Australia's DIISRTE for its innovative approach to advanced persistent threats. Sophos tells you how to report a cyber crime.