Online search giant Google has unveiled plans to guard the internet by recruiting a team of seasoned hackers, who will be set the task of hunting down and highlighting weaknesses in internet security in a bid to prevent the more advanced cyber-attacks.
Known as Project Zero, the move will see the team spend time searching for vulnerabilities and software flaws that remain unknown to the public but are often used in hacking both computers and smartphones.
The California-based company is utilising this strategy in order to protect users of the internet’s most popular tools, which includes Internet Explorer and Google Chrome. Whilst the company – perhaps more famous for keeping SEO firms alert with its search engine – focuses on its own plans, it has become part of an industry built up to detect these flaws and improve online security.
Project Zero will be hoping to uncover weaknesses and bugs quicker than hackers and others with malicious intent, and get to work on solutions to fix the problems. It will also be responsible for informing the wider world of these issues, as well as updating and securing software.
Chris Evans, Google’s security chief, has said that people should be able to use the internet without the fear of hackers exploiting software in order to:
“[…] infect computers, steal secrets or monitor communications.”
Project Zero joins a host of schemes designed to uncover software flaws; many large tech firms, including Facebook and Microsoft, already run similar programmes with monetary incentives if weaknesses are discovered.
- Chrome to warn users regarding insecure web forms - August 20, 2020
- Google trials virtual business cards in India - August 14, 2020
- DuckDuckGo claims Google market share would drop if users given choice - August 11, 2020
