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As the Last HOPE (Hackers on Planet Earth) conference comes to an end in New York, CNET News' Elinor Mills gives the lowdown on what she learned from 3,000 hackers about lock-picking, private investigation, and the security of consumer electronics.

According to new reports, Carl Icahn will be doing his bidding inside the Yahoo executive board come August, with no specific statements that he'll try to sell the search business to Microsoft.

This weekend's megahit, The Dark Knight, is up on the Web and it may be a sign that smaller Web sites are flying under the … Read more

Carl Icahn has apparently decided that his 4.98 percent stake in Yahoo common stock is safe in the hands of Yahoo's current eight-member board, which has fought him for control of the company over the last several months. Yahoo co-founder and CEO Jerry Yang lives to fight another day.

Icahn and two other board nominees of his choice will round out the board, keeping current Chairman Roy Bostock and Yang in place. Icahn had proposed a complete board replacement, with Lucian A. Bebchuk, Frank J. Biondi Jr., John H. Chapple, Mark Cuban, Adam Dell, Keith A. Meister, Edward … Read more

Updated 10:45 a.m. PDT, with comments from the M&A director of research at RiskMetrics Group.

Microsoft may be the biggest winner in the proxy fight settlement between Yahoo and activist investor Carl Icahn, whose peace accord was announced Monday.

With its ally Icahn and two members of Icahn's former dissident proxy slate getting three seats on Yahoo's expanded 11-member board as part of the settlement, Microsoft may find a sympathetic ear on any future buyout or asset acquisition proposals for Yahoo's search business, said sources. That, as a result, could push Microsoft to … Read more

Yahoo has reached a settlement with activist investor Carl Icahn, who will join the Internet company's board.

Icahn, who had proposed his own slate of board members, was agitating for the company to reach a deal to sell all or part of the company to Microsoft. Icahn and Microsoft officials had previously stated that they could not work with the existing Yahoo board.

As part of the settlement, Icahn, who owns about 68.7 million shares, or 4.98 percent of Yahoo common stock, has agreed to withdraw his nominees for consideration at the annual meeting and to vote … Read more

A dissident shareholder is pushing Yahoo to accept a mixed board of directors drawn from company nominees and those presented by billionaire investor Carl Icahn, according to a report by Reuters.

Eric Jackson, manager of hedge fund Ironfire Capital and leader of shareholder group Yahoo Plan B, on Sunday said he would encourage his shareholder group Yahoo Plan B to elect five Yahoo directors and four Icahn nominees, Reuters reported. His group is made up of 150 Yahoo stockholders representing 3.2 million Yahoo shares.

"It's become clear over the last two weeks that many shareholders are reluctant … Read more

Updated 9:16 a.m. PDT with Chief Executive Jerry Yang's comment about the site.

Yahoo is using its considerable Internet clout to promote its "proxy facts" Web site devoted to countering investor Carl Icahn's attempt to replace the company's board of directors with his own picks.

The company's main page includes a large link to the proxy fight site just below the main advertisement on the right side of the page, showing a purple panel that reads, "We have a couple of exclamation points to make." Given the heavy traffic to … Read more

This wasn't the sort of reaction Carl Icahn was expecting from his former buddies on Wall Street.

Legg Mason Capital Management, which controls about 4.4 percent of outstanding Yahoo stock, plans to back management at the company's shareholders meeting next month. Could it be that Legg Mason thinks he's as clueless as Yahoo claims he is when it comes to managing a complex technology company?

Bill Miller, chairman and chief investment officer of Legg Mason, said Friday in a statement that Legg Mason would prefer the feuding sides reach a settlement and "end this disruptive … Read more

Legg Mason Capital Management said Friday it will back Yahoo's existing management at the company's shareholder's meeting next month.

The investment firm controls about 60.7 million shares of Yahoo, which represents about 4.4 percent of outstanding Yahoo stock.

Investor Carl Icahn has proposed an alternative slate of board members, as part of a bid to get Yahoo to agree to some sort of takeover or deal with Microsoft.

"We believe the current Board acted with care and diligence when evaluating Microsoft's offers. We believe the Board is independent and focused on value creation … Read more

Microsoft plans to continue to invest (read: lose money) in online services.

In its fourth-quarter earnings conference call on Thursday, Microsoft CFO Chris Liddell said the company would pour hundreds of millions of additional dollars into its online advertising business.

"We do not make these investments lightly," said Liddell, who noted that the loss will be "a drag" on the rest of the company. However, he said it is worth the cost, given how the size of the online advertising market is measured in tens of billions of dollars.

Liddell noted that the market is projected … Read more