Chrome OS likely to be hacker's dream tool, says security firm

The Web-based operating system, dubbed Chrome, relies on a technology known as HTML 5 that's designed to help Web applications behave like PC software. Developers use HTML 5 language to ensure that software delivers fast response times and stores information that users can access even when they're not connected to the Internet.

Because sites written with HTML 5 can directly access a user's PC online or off, they may provide a rich target for cyber attacks, according to McAfee.

"When a technology is widely used and adopted, the bad guys will latch onto it before the good guys do," he says. "Developers need to think about how [HTML 5] is going to be abused," Dave Marcus, director of security research at McAfee said.

Marcus also believes that the popularity of Google's software plays a big part in making the company the favourite target for hackers to infect computers with malware that can spread spam or pilfer information.

According to a December 29 report published by the computer security company, Google's operating system, due to be released next year, may rank among software most targeted by hackers in 2010.

Google seems to be aware of the 'flaw'. In a July 7 blog posting about Chrome OS on its Web site, Google said that it is "completely redesigning the underlying security architecture...so that users don't have to deal with viruses, malware, and security updates."