Chrome OS May Become Hackers' Favorite Prey in 2010, Says McAfee

Posted 12/29/2009 at 5:55pm | by Pulkit Chandna

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Google's Chrome OS has garnered a lot of attention in recent times. Early glimpses, however, don't quite justify the hype. Many tech savants have already written off the operating system as nothing more than a sexed up browser. However, it is still a little early for obituaries as Google may have a trump hiding up its sleeve. McAfee is one company that acknowledges the possibility of Chrome OS living up to all the hype.

According to  its latest report titled "2010 Threat Predictions,"the operating system may become a prime target for hackers in the eventuality of it becoming rife. The security company fears that Chrome OS's dependence on HTML5 - allows web apps both online and offline access to a user's PC - will endear it to hackers. "When a technology is widely used and adopted, the bad guys will latch onto it before the good guys do,"said McAfee's director of security research, David Marcus. McAfee also expects the popularity of Adobe software among hackers to soar to such levels that it may become the most targeted application software in 2010.

The report had a word of caution for users of social networking sites as well. They might become more vulnerable in the new year as such sites come under increased attack. The report specifically mentioned the use of URL-shortening services in spreading malicious links through the social web.