May 30, 2007
Google has quietly made its first anti-malware acquisition, snapping up GreenBorder Technologies, a venture-backed company that sells browser virtualization security software.
The acquisition gives the search engine a key piece of technology to block Web-based exploits that prey on flaws in the two most widely used browsers - Microsoft`s Internet Explorer and Mozilla`s Firefox.
GreenBorder`s software creates an "impenetrable protective barrier" that keeps all interactions with a Web site and its associated content and programs away from the internal parts of a Windows machine.
It essentially creates a DMZ (demilitarized zone) between the Windows desktop and programs downloaded from Web pages or opened from e-mail messages in Microsoft Outlook.
The company sold two versions of the sandbox software - consumers and enterprise - before the Google acquisition. New sales/downloads have been discontinued but existing customers will continue to get support.
It`s clear that Google is pushing aggressively into the anti-malware market to clean up its own search results and provide protection to end users and this deal signals the company`s intent to use the browser as the entry point to get on desktops.
It`s likely that Google will rebrand and release GreenBorder`s software as a free download or as an addition to the Google Toolbar.
Last week, when I blogged about Google`s anti-malware team launching a blog and dropping hints about future plans, I suggested that a big acquisition might be on the cards. This wasn`t it.
It certainly looks like Google has set its sights on the desktop anti-virus space and, as others are speculating, Symantec and McAfee could soon be nervously looking over their shoulders.
Source: http://blogs.zdnet.com/security/?p=241
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