Google ChromeA blog claiming to show the first few pictures of Google OS Beta turned out to be fakes last week after the fraudster came clean.

It’s pretty ironic that this happened as the search giant claimed its plans for the operating system heralded an end to all security concerns.

Google Chrome OS, due to be launched around this time next year, with netbooks as its initial target market, will be based on open source code, and claims to offer unprecedented safety.

Allegedly, this means an end for the need to run anti-virus software, but also wider security updates and malware.

Simplicity and speed are other key features, say senior Google sources, adding that it’ll be zippy enough to have you online in a few minutes. Google Chrome OS has been made to run on x86 and ARM chips, and operate within a new windowing system on top of a Linux kernel, the company says.

But already sceptics are dismissing Google’s claims as unrealistic, saying that no software could claim to be free from security problems, and that malware authors are likely to be doing their darnedest to find flaws in the system from the moment it launches.

Already there have been breaches of a kind, with a prankster posting photos purporting to be from the Chrome OS Beta. Granted, this won’t affect the system, but constant press about security issues will knock consumer confidence.

If it wants to be as secure as it claims, Google is going to have to be one step ahead all the time. And it can surely expect more of this sort of prank in the future. And to think the OS hasn’t even launched yet! So will they manage to keep Chrome clear of security threats?

Post originally from this Cool Tech Blog – gizmodose.com (this line of text is here for scrapers!)

Pledges Of A Virus-Free Chrome: Empty Promise?