25 Mar 2010

Google Skipfish 'could boost online security for firms'

The introduction of Google's new Skipfish data security application could help companies maintain tight online security, it has been claimed.

Ram Herkanaidu, a security researcher for Kaspersky Labs, said the program has been designed to enable administrators to keep their sites as secure as possible, further foiling the efforts of criminals to successfully hack them.

The system utilises learning capabilities and therefore if a successful hack does take place, any holes in security will be automatically filled.

He commented: "When operating systems started to harden - in the security sense - the bad guys turned their attention to internet browsers. Those in turn have been hardened and now the focus is very much on exploiting applications."

According to a recent report by Deloitte, cyber attacks and security breaches are increasing in frequency and sophistication, with discovery usually occurring only after the event, if at all.

Indeed, the firm noted cybercriminals are targeting organisations and individuals with malware and anonymisation techniques that can evade current security controls.