6/09/2009

Most Dangerous Search Terms on the Internet

Many people use the "I don't search for warez or porn" defense when it comes to avoiding malicious software and links online. It turns out that the most dangerous search terms are often much more benign.


McAfee, of the anti-virus fame, had their researchers comb through thousands of popular keyword searches. After analyzing the frequency with which they found malicious software at each link they compiled the results. Surprisingly the common "bad" searchs that people associate with a guarantee of getting malicious software like searching for pirated software or pornography rank fairly low on the risk scale. Apparently the people behind malicious sites like to cast a wide net and use things like lyrics to popular songs and free screen savers to lure people in.


Check out the white paper at the link below for the full charts and more information about the study.
http://us.mcafee.com/en-us/local/docs/most_dangerous_searchterm_us.pdf

0 comments: