Chicago Teachers Union representatives Monday shocked by admitting a security breach that shared the Social Security numbers of 1,700 former Chicago public school employees with hundreds of their colleagues, creating a risk of identity theft.

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan is advising customers about unrequested e-mails they may receive for a special invitation from The Oprah Winfrey Show to attend a show taping. The e-mails are unauthorized and part of a con intended to defraud money or gain personal information from consumers.

Some financial institutions last week canceled thousands of credit and debit cards in Michigan due to fraud alarms related to an possible data compromise at a convenience store chain, stressing the wide effect that retail security breaches can have.

ERG Ventures LLC is charged of spreading spyware and adware on the Internet using the infamous Media Motor program.

A federal court has shut down a Nevada business " ERG Ventures LLC -- that the Federal Trade Commission accused of spreading spyware and adware on the Internet using the notorious Media Motor program.

The world’s largest financial institutions experienced a surge in the number of security attacks over the past year, specifically from external sources. More than three-quarters (78%, up from 26% in 2005) of respondents confirmed a security breach from outside the organization and almost half (49%, up from 35% in 2005) experienced at least one internal breach.