Here are five free add-ons that can bolster Chrome’s security:

1. WOT
   Web of Trust (WOT) is an extension that uses a traffic light symbol to rank the trustworthiness of websites. WOT ratings are powered by millions of users who rate the sites you visit, ensuring up-to-date information. Best of all, WOT provides security rankings on search results when you use Google, Yahoo! and Bing.
2. FlashBlock
   Unnecessary Flash content can not only cause security concerns, but also eat away at your computer’s memory. With FlashBlock, all Flash applications on a web page are disabled. Users can then choose individual elements they want to display — FlashBlock will remember those decisions and compile a list of trusted sites.
3. KB SSL Enforcer
   Many sites have safe versions of their web pages available to users that enter log-in information and passwords — these pages are exactly the same as the standard pages, expect that all information is encrypted before it’s sent. With KB SSL Enforcer, the browser can tell if a site supports SSL and will automatically redirect users to the encrypted version.
4. Unencrypted Password Warning
   If users are not on an encrypted version of a web page, Unencrypted Password Warning will alert them before they enter sensitive information. If a password or credit card number is entered on an unprotected site, this extension can prevent that information from being sent.
5. LastPass
   This is not your typical password manager. Using LastPass, all of your users’ passwords are encrypted and uploaded online, allowing you to sync log-in information between different computers. Because the information has already been encrypted, users can protect themselves against new phishing techniques like tabnabbing.

Google has been steadily implementing a new operating system policy, according to a report in the Financial Times. While Google has not publicly acknowledged the move, the paper found a number of Google employees willing to talk off the record.

It is migrating almost all of its 10,000 worldwide employees to either Macintosh OS X or Linux operating systems, due to concerns about data security. The loser here: Microsoft Windows.

Also in the mix is Google’s own Chrome OS, due to be officially released in the fourth quarter of 2010.

The move began after a major malware attack on Google’s Chinese division earlier this year, with major loss of data to hackers. Google, which retains search histories for the majority of worldwide computer users, is extremely sensitive to any data loss.

According to one source, Google workers who want or need to stay on Windows (for testing or development) have to get approval form the corporate CIO at Google.

Windows has had, and still has, the reputation of being the most vulnerable of operating systems, despite security upgrades to the current version. What is not clear is whether the vulnerability is inherent to the basic architecture of Windows itself, or that its domination of the market attracts the most talented hackers, who might otherwise dream up more clever assaults on OS X or Linux if they had a bigger share of the market.

It is true that Google has become more and more of a competitor with Microsoft, in the area of search engines, browsers, applications, and soon, operating systems. Is that influencing its policy? And if it is, Google is also at odds with Apple in a number of product areas, so why is it sending so much new business to another rival?

Meanwhile, Microsoft is counterattacking the unconfirmed rumors, Windows supporters are boasting that even hackers acknowledge that Windows security is better than ever, and that Google itself has some serious security issues — and Apple is not so great either, and getting more vulnerable as it gains market share.

Can’t we all just get along? In our opinion, a big shakeup in the operating system world — and a move away from a Windows near monopoly along with some real competition — should improve data security for everyone.

The market share for Internet Explorer (IE) has dipped below 60% for the first time, falling to 59.95%, according to the most recent report by Web analytics company NetApplications.

Chrome’s useage rose to 6.73%, a gain of 0.7% from the last report — about equal to the share lost by IE.

Google’s browser has gotten a fair amount of good press lately on account of its report speed and strong security features.

However, as ComputerWorld reports, the latest preview version of the new Internet Explorer 9 has also impressed experts. Though that browser will not run on XP, Microsoft has confirmed.

Security researchers Peter Vreugdenhil, of the Netherlands, and a German who identified himself only as Nils won a $10,000 prize at the “Pwn2Own” hacking contest by finding ways around IE8′s security features.

The hackers, running a fully patched version of Windows 7, found a way to disable the OS’s data execution prevention (DEP) and address space layout randomization (ASLR), two of the most highly praised security features of Windows 7.

The hack took a total of two minutes to complete. Vreugdenhil said it took him “six or seven days” to figure out how to make the attack work. He explains what he and Nils did here.

Microsoft responded a few days later, saying the security features are an effective way to prevent exploits but can’t possibly “prevent every attack forever.”

Though Microsoft was the big loser at the contest, it certainly wasn’t the only company to see its browser get hacked. Researchers also exploited flaws in Firefox and Safari, ComputerWorld reports.

The only browser researchers targeted that was still standing after the contest: Google’s Chrome. It was second year Chrome made it through the contest unexploited.

In the past, vendors have been quick to push out patches for the flaws uncovered at the contest, so those could be expected within the next few weeks.

In February, the browser lost about 0.2%, to end with a 24.2% share of the market, according to the rankings posted by Web measurement vendor NetApplications.com.

Internet Explorer continued to decline, as usual. But instead of Firefox reaping the benefits, Google’s Chrome seems to have taken its place.

Chrome has been climbing for 16 straight months, currently holding a 5.6% share.