BANGALORE, INDIA: Following news that Google's Gmail service was the target of an attack from Chinese hackers, websites - Google included - are beefing up their security procedures.

Google said it would make an encrypted connection the default for Gmail users in a bid to ensure user safety.

Facebook announced this week that it would partner with security software provider McAfee to better protect the popular social networking site. Users with compromised accounts will be able to scan their computers for viruses or malware at no charge.

The goal, said Facebook global communications vice president Elliot Schrage, is "reducing the possibility of threats being brought onto our service by unsuspecting users."

Antimalware software developer BitDefender suggests that social networking sites like Facebook will increasingly become the target of malware developers. The sites' overwhelming popularity - Facebook has an estimated 350 million users - makes them low-hanging fruit for hackers.

Another software company, Kaspersky, predicts that attacks on iPhone and Android mobile platforms will become more prevalent this year. Research firm ABI Research released this week a report on mobile security trends, saying that the market for mobile device security software will grow by a factor of five in the next half-decade.

Source: By Benjamin Foster, NASDAQ