You may want to think twice before googling your favourite superhero.
Some interesting research is out today which reveals who the most toxic superhero really is. Cybercriminals use popular superheroes to lead you to malicious sites that can infect your devices and enable them to steal passwords and personal information.
As Marvel’s latest film Guardians of the Galaxy hits Australian cinemas today, McAfee, part of Intel Security, has released the ‘Most Toxic Superheroes’ list, naming Superman as the riskiest of all the superheroes to search for online when it comes to spreading malware online.
To compile the list, McAfee researchers used McAfee® SiteAdvisor® site ratings to determine which sites are risky to search for superhero names when coupled especially with videos, torrents and apps.
The Man of Steel was the most risky followed by Thor in second place. Tied in joint third place was Wonder Woman (who will star in the Batman v Superman film) and Aquaman, who has also been widely rumoured to appear in the same film.
“Thanks to a rapidly growing list of successful blockbusters including The Avengers, Man of Steel and the Batman franchise, the superhero world is no longer the nerdy community it once was. But ‘with great power comes great responsibility’ and fans should be wary not to fall for bogus websites, apps and content that cyber criminals have infiltrated in order to plant malware that could potentially steal personal information.” Sean Duca, Chief Technology Officer for McAfee Asia Pacific, part of Intel Security comments.
So what can you do to stay safe and protected online?
To avoid the risk of your computer becoming infected, McAfee has offered the following tips to help protect fans during their searches:
- 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 legitimate or safe.
- Search safely: Use McAfee SiteAdvisor, a free download that displays a red, yellow, or green ratings in search results, alerting you to potential risky sites before you click.
- Protect yourself: Use comprehensive security software on all your devices, like McAfee LiveSafe™ service, to protect yourself against the latest threats.
Be safe and cyberwise 🙂
