Apple is recalling two-prong AC wall plug adapters sold in Australia between 2003 and 2015 due to reports of the devices breaking in rare circumstances and causing electric shocks. [ + ]

IBM has acquired video streamer Ustream; Toshiba reportedly selling chip business following scandal; Apple's Tim Cook makes surprise visit to Brussels. [ + ]

To mark this year's international data privacy day, NAIDANZ, the industry body representing Australia's secure information disposal industry, has asked individuals and companies to be aware of how secure their private data is. [ + ]

Flexera Software estimates that up to a third of enterprise software budgets are being wasted on rarely (if ever) used software as well as penalties from exceeding licensing agreements. [ + ]

A technology policy think tank has found that Australia ranked just 22nd out of the 56 major economies in terms of how effectively its domestic policies support global innovation. [ + ]

Microsoft plans to conduct a global recall of power cords for some Surface Pro tablets following overheating complaints, as Intel patches a serious bug in its Driver Update Utility. [ + ]

A potentially serious vulnerability in the Linux kernel has been uncovered, while Apple has issued patches for nine vulnerabilities in OS X and iOS. [ + ]

The current app store situation is a vector for malware to be accidentally loaded onto a user's device and then gain access to the corporate network. [ + ]

Win XP systems at a Melbourne hospital have been hit with a virus, Sydney and Canberra Hyatt hotels listed in hack, and Exetel forced to recant over contract changes. [ + ]

AGL Energy and First Solar have officially launched the two largest solar plants in the Southern Hemisphere, more than doubling Australia's large-scale solar capacity. [ + ]

Only 54% of respondents to Cisco's annual security survey are confident in their ability to defend against cyber attacks, and only 45% are confident they can scope and contain attacks. [ + ]

Support ends for older versions of Internet Explorer; Bluescope's internal espionage case; and the Bureau of Met suffers a meltdown.

The government has disclosed that 61 agencies, including federal and state departments, regulatory bodies and even one city council, have requested access to data under the metadata retention scheme. [ + ]

Young Australians are the least confident in their job skills and career prospects in the digital era among respondents to a nine-nation survey conducted by Infosys. [ + ]

A study of patient data breaches in 25 countries including Australia found that 18 of the 20 industries examined had fallen prey to such a breach, but many companies are not even aware they retain such data. [ + ]