The battle against cyber-crime could be given a boost with the development of the first affordable consumer appliance to block attacks.

Security appliances are usually bulky and expensive boxes used by companies as a barrier to malware and attacks, but now security firm Yoggie Security Systems has launched the Pico.

Touted as the first full security suite on a USB stick, the device is essentially a miniature Linux computer. It comes with 128Mb of memory and is powered by a 520MHz Intel processor.

The key comes in two formats, the Pico Personal and Pico Pro, loaded with 12 or 13 security applications respectively. These include standard software such as anti-virus, anti-spam anti-spyware, intruder detection and prevention and firewall.

Yoggie said there was now no need for any other security software. With the news that anti-virus vendors Kasperksy, F-Secure and Grisoft, maker of the popular AVG application, have failed to achieve the strict VB100 anti-virus certification consumers may be tempted to trust a new device.

The Pico is designed to screen all internet traffic before it gets onto a PC or notebook, protecting the user from all types of hacking, virus, malware, worms and other attacks; parental controls are also included. Updates are carried out on an hourly basis without interrupting the user.

Yoggie said as well as freeing up memory on the PC, it can work out cheaper than traditional security software. The Pico Personal and the Pico Pro cost £95 and £106, respectively for the device and first year's subscription; ongoing subscriptions will cost around £17-20 per year.