Brace Yourself - AOL to Enter Security Business

In the re-emergence of the Web, AOL got the attention it never imagined it would get, Microsoft and Google fighting for a share of its modest, but strategic amount of eyeballs. After being an exclusive part of Time Warner's balance sheet since its early acquisition, and with a $510M fine, dial-up business that was profitable by the time telecoms started offering cable connections, due to the years of infrastructure renovation, the though to be mature online advertising model is what saved it. Now, AOL is basically putting half its leg into the red hot security market and wisely playing it safe as :

"AOL plans to expand into security services with the release of the Active Security Monitor, expected on Thursday. The program would also check to make sure Internet Explorer is properly configured to prevent security holes. "ASM determines a security score for your PC, and for all other PCs in your home network, by evaluating the status of all the major components needed for a robust system: Anti-Virus software, Anti-Spyware software, Firewall protection, Wireless Security, Operating System, Web Browser, Back up software and PC Optimization."

After the scoring, I presume it would "phone back home" and let AOL know what end users are mostly missing, then a solution provided by AOL, or a licensee would follow. Benchmarking against AOL's understanding of application based security is tricky, and I bet you already know the programs necessary to establish common sense security on your PC/network. Who's next to enter the security industry besides Microsoft and AOL, perhaps DoubleClick?

CNET has naturally reviewed the Active Security Monitor.