Instead Of Whining About Microsoft, Websense Tries Innovating

Ramblings

from the now-there's-a-thought dept

A few weeks ago, there was a lot of discussion after a computer security company accused Microsoft of engaging in predatory pricing with the release of its new anti-virus software. At the time, we suggested that instead of whining about Microsoft’s dominance, companies should seek to out-innovate them instead. So it’s no surprise that a new security endeavor employs Google’s search capabilities, since Google’s products have served as a platform for a lot of innovation. Websense has developed a technique that uses Google’s search engine to proactively scan sites that may be distributors of malware. The company plans on opening this capability up to other security companies in the future. This model isn’t likely to be a silver bullet, but it represents a departure from the typical anti-virus approach, which involves waiting until the malware is at the end user’s computer. As more functions move from the desktop to the web, buying security in a box at Best Buy will make less and less sense. Meanwhile, techniques such as this one to monitor the dangers out there will become more important.