As widely reported, the Google Chrome operating system will operate as a thin client application, accessing almost all of its data on the web.

However, because the Google Chrome OS will be based on HTML5 code, it is expected to become a major target for hackers, McAfee has warned.

According to the annual report from the IT security vendor, HTML5 holds all the promises that today's web community seeks - primarily blurring and removing the lines between a web application and a desktop application.

"HTML5-based attacks will become even more tempting once the Google Chrome Operating System is released", the report said.

"HTML5 enables not only a rich Internet experience, but also offline applications. Another motivation for attackers is HTML 5's anticipated cross-platform support, which will allow attackers to eventually reach users of many mainstream browsers", the report added.

McAfee noted that, if Google gets its security on Chrome OS right, it should be almost bullet-proof - "due to its' sandbox environment, and the fact that there is absolutely nothing stored on the local machine".

"Even if a hacker did manage to install something in the kernel, Google says it will automatically re-image the device if something seems amiss upon reboot."