IT security solutions provider Comodo announced that the beta version of Comodo Memory Guardian is now available for download. This solution is designed to protect against buffer overflow attacks where hackers inject malware into user's PCs, as in the recently reported incident involving Yahoo Messenger in which hackers compromised the application when consumers accepted a Web cam invitation.

Comodo Memory Guardian prevents damage from most types of buffer overflow attacks, which is when a malicious program or script deliberately sends more data to its memory buffer than the buffer can handle, resulting in a crash. It is at this point that a successful attack can create a back door to the system though which a hacker can gain access.

Most attacks try to install malware onto the compromised PC so that the hacker can then reformat the hard drive, steal sensitive user information, or even install programs that turn the machine into a zombie PC. Comodo Memory Guardian, which is expected to be available for general release later this year, protects users against this form of attack and has successfully prevented more than 90 percent of these types of attacks.

"I'm pleased that Comodo is able to help protect consumers against many types of hacker attacks," says Melih Abdulhayoglu, CEO and chief security architect of Comodo. "Comodo's strong reputation within the realm of desktop security, combined with our ability to address many types of threats should help pave the way for stronger consumer threat protection."

Comodo announced on Wednesday it partnered with Canadian merchant account service provider Merchant-Accounts to offer Comodo's range of payment card industry compliancy and security scanning tools to Canadian e-merchants.