Tens of thousands of websites, some operated by The Los Angeles Times, Seagate, and other reputable companies, have recently come under the spell of "Darkleech," a mysterious exploitation toolkit that exposes visitors to potent malware attacks.

The ongoing attacks, estimated to have infected 20,000 websites in the past few weeks alone, are significant because of their success in targeting Apache, by far the Internet's most popular Web server software. Once it takes hold, Darkleech injects invisible code into webpages, which in turn surreptitiously opens a connection that exposes visitors to malicious third-party websites, researchers said.

Internet Explorer 10 (IE10), the newest version of Microsoft's longstanding Web browser, surged to 86.6% month-over-month growth in March, according to the latest figures from Net Applications. The uptick coincides with the general availability of IE10 for Windows 7, the world's most popular operating system. Redmond's latest browser, which has generally drawn praise, was initially available only for Windows 8.

Though seemingly huge, IE10's progress is less dramatic than its growth rate might suggest. IE products own nearly 45% of the PC pie, but IE10 has to date left most of that pie untouched, amassing only 2.93% of the market. In fact, IE10's market share even trails that of Windows 8, arguably the most polarizing product in Microsoft's current catalog. Given that IE10 shipped with Windows 8 and is available to millions of additional Windows 7 owners, it's noteworthy that the browser has been unable to match even Windows 8's troubled progress.

While some companies are looking to end piracy across the entertainment industry, one major player doesn’t think it’s quite the crisis it’s often made out to be. HBO’s hit show Games of Thrones is the most-pirated TV show on the Internet with more than 4 million illegal downloads per episode, however the company’s programming president Michael Lombardo believes piracy is a “compliment” to the show and has actually helped sales. In February, Game of Thrones season two was released to record-setting DVD sales, becoming the company’s biggest first-day home video release with sales of 241,000 units, an increase of 44% over season one, and sales of individual episodes reached 355,000, up 112% from season one.

“I probably shouldn’t be saying this, but it is a compliment of sorts,” Lombardo said to Entertainment Weekly. “The demand is there. And it certainly didn’t negatively impact the DVD sales. [Piracy is] something that comes along with having a wildly successful show on a subscription network.”

Despite being the most pirated show on television, Games of Thrones is also the network’s top money-maker.

Microsoft cautioned its users against a scam that promises "free Xbox points" for wishing the company a happy birthday on Monday.

The software giant debunked the false rumor in a post on its Facebook page. Created by co-founders Bill Gates and Paul Allen on April 4, 1975, Microsoft is celebrating its 38th anniversary this week.

"Please do not respond to [the scam]," it said in the post, which has just over 1,400 likes. "There won't be free Xbox points for the occasion, but we hope you'll celebrate with us nonetheless!"

Microsoft's move to relax the minimum resolution for Windows 8 devices could trigger a slew of seven-inch Windows 8 tablets.

An update to Microsoft's Windows Certification Newsletter, uncovered by Ed Bott of CNET sister site ZDNet announced the change in the required resolution for Windows 8 tablets.

To claim Windows 8 certification, a tablet can now offer a minimum resolution of 1,024x768 at a depth of 32 bits. That's a change from the previous guidelines, which specify a minimum resolution of 1,366x768. Microsoft said it isn't encouraging device makers to shoot for such a low resolution but noted that "partners exploring designs for certain markets could find greater design flexibility helpful."