McAfee has unveiled a secure search service and a security certification programme for retail sites in an attempt to make web surfing safer.

McAfee Secure Search will be accessible through a toolbar in the firm's Site Adviser offering, and will filter sites that use browser exploits or push suspicious downloads.

Search results will be displayed with a red, yellow or green icon to indicate the level of risk. The service is due for launch later this summer.

"The rise of malicious sites has caused internet users to be wary of searching and shopping online, especially when those activities require personal information," said Tim Dowling, vice president of McAfee's web security group.

"Bad sites strive to look harmless to users, so it is very difficult to identify which results are safe to visit. Sites that are safe today may turn bad tomorrow."

The second release is a security certification service for retailers known as McAfee Secure for Web Sites.

Among the features is a Trust Mark image which is hosted on McAfee's site. The image will be displayed only if a site can pass a daily security scan.

The company will also offer a compliance-management service and a vulnerability scanning service as part of the Secure for Web Sites package.