Two men who authorities say were competing to impress their fellow hackers were arrested on federal charges they stole the e-mail addresses of more than 100,000 Apple iPad users, including politicians and media personalities.

More than half of midsize companies are planning to increase their information technology (IT) budgets over the next 12 to 18 months, according to an IBM global study of more than 2,000 midsize companies representing more than 20 countries.

Nigel Dews, chief executive of Vodafone, has confirmed the report of a security breach exposing personal information for millions of its customers. Reports state the database password had been compromised by an employee or dealer.

A survey conducted on data security reveals that while it's clear that the average consumer understands the importance of safeguarding their laptops and personal information, there is a need for better consumer understanding of the need to protect both the device and data.

A study by People Security and commissioned by 3M, reveals two-thirds of employees expose sensitive data outside the workplace – some even exposing highly regulated and confidential information such as customer credit card and social security numbers.