Steve Jobs' health has been a cause of great speculation all around the internet in recent days. Most conjectures pointed at sickness of some sort or the other, though the gravity of the purported illness swayed wildly in each theory. Perhaps fearing that the rumors would eventually dent the spirits of investors, Steve Jobs broke his silence by issuing a statement detailing the current state of his health.

Jobs acknowledged that he is suffering from a hormone imbalance that sends the protein level in a patient's body plummeting. His doctors believe that it will take him until spring to recover fully. His unnamed ailment closely resembles Crohn’s Disease, which impacts the upper intestine, according to a report. One thing is for certain that Apple aficionados must be amassing more information on the Crohn’s disease - few might even be working on a more effective cure.

Apple investors and fans must be feeling a lot better after receiving official word on Jobs’ health. Perhaps Jobs felt that had he delayed an official statement any further it could have opened the door wide open for wilder speculation. After all, it was only a few months ago that his obituary was published. We wish him a speedy recovery.

It is common knowledge that smartphones are fast emerging as a dainty prey for malware proliferators. But a recent press release by IT security firm ESET, which spelled out some of the potential threats in 2009, might have iPhone and Android users worried in particular.

ESET warned in the press release that it expects both the iPhone and Android to become more vulnerable to malware. The company also expects both the smartphone platforms to fall prey to mobile browser exploits that might target their WebKit-based browsers.

The security firm has prognosticated an increase in fake antivirus extortion in 2009. “Some of the major antivirus companies have seen their websites spoofed over the last couple of months,” according to David Harley, Director of Malware Intelligence at ESET. The real threat lies in the fact that internet charlatans are leaving no stone turned in their bid to appear as credible as possible.