McAfee says that it will also use its findings to help provide pre-emptive protection to its customers before targeted exploits can become serious problems.

The changing vulnerability and threat landscape points to increasingly sophisticated and financially motivated zero-day attacks that threaten Internet browsers and other end-user applications, databases, and data storage. McAfee, which previously discovered and publicly disclosed vulnerabilities through McAfee Avert Labs, says that it will utilise its vulnerability research expertise along with Foundstones history in the area of vulnerability discovery to raise awareness and narrow the number of un-patched vulnerabilities.        

Last month alone, McAfee publicly disclosed 24 vulnerabilities, one relating to Microsoft and 23 built into nine patches on the Apple operating system, says Stuart McClure, senior vice-president, global research and threats at McAfee. While this number may sound significant, it does not touch the number of vulnerabilities that are never discovered or properly disclosed. Our goal is to help the public address new, fast-moving threats that cannot be dealt with adequately by patching and other traditional reactive means.