14% of top search results 'lead to malware'Cyber criminals focusing on Web 2.0 and malware
09 February 2010
Online searches for news trends and buzzwords are exposing Web users to malware risks, according to research by Websense Security Labs.
The research found that 14% of all Web searches for new buzzwords resulted in web sites that are loaded with malware – software including trojans and viruses designed to harm your PC.
The US internet security company claims that it has found that sites hosting malware have grown by 225% during the last half of 2009. The US firm says that it scans millions of websites and emails daily – and published the findings in its bi-annual State Of Internet Security report.
Stay safe online with the Which? guide to online safety.
It claims that cyber criminals are targeting search engine results, so that top search results take web users to malware sites. It also found that spammers are targeting social networking sites, and it reckons that 95% of user-generated comments on blogs, chat rooms and message boards is spam or links to malware.
Stolen passwords and credit card information
The main target for web attacks is essential information and data such as passwords and credit card information. More than half of all data-stealing attacks were conducted over the Web.
The online attacks have resulted in a rise in spam email. During the second half of 2009 almost 86 percent of all emails were spam and only slightly less emails (81 percent) contained a malicious link.
Stay secure with the Which? reviews of anti-virus and security software.
Get involved with Which? using Twitter, email and RSS
If you'd like news via RSS subscribe to the Which? news RSS feed. If you have an older web browser you may need to copy and paste http://www.which.co.uk/feeds/reviews/news.xml into your newsreader. More details on RSS news feeds.
On Twitter you can follow WhichTech for regular tech tweets.
Get email updates - keep your finger on the pulse of digital technology with the weekly email from the Which? Technology team.
Every Tuesday we'll send you the latest news and reviews of MP3 players, mobile phones, cameras, high-definition TVs and other gadgets.
It's packed with the latest product launches, First Look reviews, expert advice and some incredible deals - can you afford not to be the first to find out?
