'Zero day attacks' targeted by Reno, Tel Aviv joint venture

A small Reno data security firm has joined forces with an Israeli company to launch a project to fight so-called "zero day attacks" on Web sites.

The project links Reno's Data Clone Labs with GamaSec Ltd. of Tel Aviv.

The two companies jointly developed a system that conducts automated searches for security weakness in Web applications. A particular focus of the searches are "zero day attacks," cyber shorthand for software security flaws that don't have a patch available from the developer, said Ira Victor of Data Clone Labs, the director of the project.

High-profile Web attacks in recent weeks have included those on U.S. government sites that are suspected to have been launched by North Korea. CNN.com, Washingtonpost.com and ImageShack.com also have been attacked.

Victor said Data Clone Labs and GamaSec have been working on their security search project since the start of 2009 after executives of the two companies found each other through the Internet.

"The Internet knows no geography," Victor said.

Even so, the 10-hour time difference between the two companies presented some challenges managing the project.

"It's meant a lot of early-morning conference calls," said Victor.

Data Clone Labs, which employs four at its Reno headquarters, also operates an office in the New York City metro area.