Google unveils Skipfish security tool

Google's Skipfish tool scans web apps for security vulnerabilities

Google has released a new development tool aimed at uncovering security holes in web applications.

The company said that the new Skipfish tool will allow developers to scan web applications for possible security vulnerabilities.

Currently in beta mode, the tool is designed to support multiple application frameworks, and will run on Windows, Linux, Mac OSX and BSD operating systems.

Google said that speed and compatibility were the main priorities when designing the tool. Skipfish was written in C and engineered to run quickly while putting minimal strain on processors.

"The safety of the internet is of paramount importance to Google, and helping web developers build secure, reliable web applications is an important part of the equation," wrote Google developer Michal Zalewsk in a blog posting.

"We feel that Skipfish will be a valuable contribution to the information security community, making security assessments significantly more accessible and easier to execute."

Protecting web applications and cloud computing services has arguably become the biggest issue in the security world. Analysts and developers alike have noted a distinct lack of trust from users in many web applications, particularly enterprise IT services.

As a result, security vendors have stepped up efforts to offer tools and services to web application and cloud computing developers.