Another day, another hack spreading false news of death. But where LulzSec's defacing of the Sun's website was, for the most part, harmless, the news making the rounds today could hold actual life-or-death ramifications. When Taliban members logged into their Internet-connected devices in Afghanistan on Wednesday, they found messages and news reports claiming that the group's spiritual leader was dead. Which, um, he wasn't. While the story may bring a smile to the face of a deployed GI, the Taliban didn't get the lulz.

The US's cyber strategy sucks – just ask the Pentagon. They're not shy about the problem, and in fact, just yesterday they were all too ready to provide an example; earlier this spring, "foreign intruders" managed to get hold of over 24,000 Pentagon files in one of the worst security breaches in US military history.

Current headlines would have you believe that the hacking community is a seedy world full of anonymous, government-hating hooligans and lulz-seeking havoc-wreaking chuckleheads. That is a part of it, but for every jerk who steals credit card numbers, there's a hard-working hacker helping to identify weaknesses in networks and shore up corporate defenses. Hoping to inspire a new generation of white-hat hackers, DEFCON's hosting their first ever event targeting techie children, the aptly named DEFCON Kids.

Another day, another hacking story full of lulz. This one's a little bit different though; the laughs don't come courtesy of Lulz Security or Anonymous, for the first time in what seems like ages. What's amusing about this story is the target! Hit videogame maker BioWare announced late yesterday that user account data may have been stolen in a recent server breach. That's not funny. What is funny: the server was a 10 year old community server that handled the "Neverwinter Nights" forums. While LulzSec recently ravaged Bethesda in search of Skyrim screenshots, the BioWare hacker apparently prefers his RPGs well-aged.