Gadgets and gizmos

Online security experts are, in part, using the Google PageRank technology to help produce a more intelligent and subsequently more effective spam fighting and Internet security system. The technique, known as “Highly Predictive Blacklisting” has been under research and development for over a year and more accurately predicts the type of attack and attacker that is likely to target a particular network. By using this prediction, security software can then more effectively deal with any potential incoming threat.

There are essentially two primary threats that are difficult for any size network to counteract – brand new threats only recently released into the wild and small threats that have attacked very few networks. HPB will create what is essentially a super black-list that combines the benefits of the Global Worst Offenders List (GWOL) and compares smaller networks to determine the likelihood of an attack being made on a network even by new threats.

Anything that can be done to improve online security and the ever increasing amount of spam that all email users regularly receive is good news. The problem, usually, is that as quickly as a new security technique is announced, hackers and other malware authors have found a method to bypass the security release essentially rendering it useless.