A Pinal County employee commission has tentatively rehired a sheriff's deputy fired in 2007 for illegally using a police database and amid allegations of domestic violence.

NEW YORK - Perhaps the biggest threat to Google Inc.'s increasing dominance of Internet search and advertising is the rising fear, justified or not, that Google's broadening reach is giving it unchecked power.

LAS VEGAS - Want to break into the computer network in an ultra-secure building? Ship a hacked iPhone there to a nonexistent employee and hope the device sits in the mailroom, scanning for nearby wireless connections.

I think someone has taken over my Gmail account and has changed the password. What can I do? - Lloyd

Q. What do I need to do to be safe before I start preparing tax returns on my computer? — Amanda

SEATTLE - Microsoft Corp. released an emergency security patch Tuesday to plug a hole in several versions of Windows - including Vista, which the software maker has touted as its most secure operating system ever.

Q: My friend found out that there is an "eye icon" on the taskbar, and we think someone may have put a spyware (bug) to find out what we are e-mailing each other. Is this possible and how can we delete such a bug? — Ralph

Q: What is the difference between standby and hibernate in Windows XP? - Kerry

BOSTON - If you do banking over the Internet, generally the drill is pretty simple: You enter your user name and password, and away you go.

BOSTON - Federal regulators will require banks to strengthen security for Internet customers through authentication that goes beyond mere user names and passwords, which have become too easy for criminals to exploit.

BERKELEY, Calif. - If spyware and key-logging software weren't a big enough threat to privacy, researchers have figured out a way to eavesdrop on your computer simply by listening to the clicks and clacks of the keyboard.

Q: I have Norton System Works, Spybot and Ad-ware, which were all recommended by salesman and installed with the statement: "You now have nothing to worry about, your computer is safe!"

September 21, 2004

June 1, 2004

Q: With all of the stories about hackers, is it really safe to prepare and submit your tax return on a Web site? — Joy

SAN JOSE, Calif. - An e-mail worm that looks like a normal error message but actually contains a malicious program continued to snarl computers around the world on Tuesday.

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Network administrators were working to stop a fast-spreading e-mail worm that looks like a normal error message but actually contains a malicious program that spreads itself and installs a program that leaves an open door to infected computers.

Q: I am still not totally convinced that I want to shop online because of the horror stories that I have heard. Is it any safer now then it was in the past? — Jennifer