Hemu Nigam made a splash as an Internet security specialist by solving big problems at Microsoft Corp. and MySpace. He’s now using those credentials to launch his own company, SSP Blue.

But his Beverly Hills shop is just one in a crowded scene. It seems starting Internet security companies has become something of a gold rush, according to Stan Stahl, chief executive of L.A. cybersecurity firm Citadel Information Group and president of the Information Systems Security Association.

“In the last year, all of a sudden this industry has taken off,” Stahl said. “Legally, anyone can hang up a shingle and say they are a computer security expert.”

Nigam’s first client is News Corp., the corporate parent of MySpace. But Stahl said he’ll need to find smaller companies, because large corporations usually turn to IBM, Symantec and others for their computer security services.

At Microsoft, Nigam’s work led to the conviction of a notorious virus hacker. At MySpace, he implemented 150 technical changes to prevent problems with sexual predators, con artists and spyware – and also to collect evidence to turn over to law enforcement.

Nigam said that today’s biggest problem comes from criminal organizations that have been hiring expert hackers who build networks of “zombies” on business computers. The zombie networks are so named because the owners are unaware the machines have been hacked. Nigam said the most common use for zombies at the moment is to send spam e-mails with fraudulent pleas for money to clean up the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.