Researching superheroes is risky - especially if it's Aquaman

Source: Intel Security infographic.

Stay away from Aquaman! While he is most well-known for his ability to control marine animals and breathing underwater, he is also the superhero who poses the biggest threat to surfers online, according to Intel Security’s list of Most Toxic Superheroes.

With superhero movies and television shows booming, everyone needs to be wary of the websites they use when they are accessing information on their favourite characters. Aquaman returns to the top of the annual Most Toxic Superheroes list as revealed by McAfee SiteAdvisor, with a risk percentage of 20%. He last came close in 2013, where he also came in first with 18.6%. All ten of the superheroes are highly toxic, with Batman at no. 10 rated 18.33%.

The top 10 superheroes* most likely to cause problems for online surfers this year are:

Aquaman - 20%
Iron Fist - 19.69%
Wolverine - 19.58.%
Wonder Woman - 19.38%
Doctor Strange - 19.17%
Daredevil - 18.96%
Tie: The Incredible Hulk - 18.85.%, Iron Man - 18.85%
Catwoman - 18.65%
Green Lantern - 18.44%
Batman - 18.33%

With Aquaman set to appear in the upcoming Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), The Justice League Part One (2017) and his own movie in 2018, searches about him are expected to grow over the next few years. Be wary when reading about him, Intel Security warns.

The Most Toxic Superheroes list is compiled by using McAfee SiteAdvisor, which rates websites that contain superhero search terms on the most popular search engines (Google, Bing, and Yahoo!) by risk. SiteAdvisor informs users of potentially dangerous websites through colour coded levels of risk, from green to signal when it is okay to click, and red when you should skip a particular website.

Whether you are searching online from your PC or mobile device, Intel Security offers some tips to help you stay safe:

Be suspicious
Be wary of searches that turns up a link to free content or too-good-to-be-true offers

Double-check the Web address
Look for misspellings or other clues that the site you are going to may not be safe

Search safely
Use a safe search plug-in, such as McAfee SiteAdvisor software that displays a red, yellow, or green ratings in search results, warning you to potential risky sites before you click on them

Protect yourself
Use security software on all your devices

*% indicates the chance of landing on a website that has tested positive for online threats such as spyware, adware, spam, phishing, viruses or other malware.

posted from Bloggeroid

Beware, Superman is toxic

Superman is a huge online threat. That's what McAfee says in a blog post. The ubiquity of superheroes outside of the comic books means that hackers and scammers can use them for cybercrime, the company said.

The company has released survey results for the Most Toxic Superheroes using McAfee SiteAdvisor site ratings, and the Man of Steel topped the list. The study determined that searching 'Superman', 'Superman and free torrent download', 'Superman and watch', 'Superman and free app', and 'Superman and online', yields a 16.5% chance of landing on a website that has tested positive for online threats, such as spyware, adware, spam, phishing, viruses and other malware.

Other superheroes also yield high chances of falling victim to malware, including Thor, WonderWoman, Azuaman, and Wolverine. 

McAfee recommends the following to stay safe: 

Be suspicious: If a search turns up a link to free content or too-good-to-be-true offers, be wary

Double-check the web address: Look for misspellings or other clues that the site you are going to may not be safe (for more on this, read the McAfee blog on typosquatting)

Search safely: Use a web safety advisor, such as McAfee SiteAdvisor that displays a red, yellow, or green ratings in search results, alerting you to potential risky sites before you click on them

Protect yourself: Use comprehensive security software on all your devices, like McAfee LiveSafe service, to protect yourself against the latest threats