What do you think the top three most dangerous search terms are?

Did Olympics, solitaire or news make your list? They made the list of US-based antivirus software company McAfee. According to a CNN report, the most popular search terms may also be the most dangerous.

Looking at the 5 most popular search engines, McAfee studied 2,600 of the common keywords and analyzed more than 400,000 websites in a search for the internet’s most dangerous terms.

Their conclusion may surprise you.

You are at the highest risk of contracting malware if you search for any of the following search terms:

- Screen Savers                    -  Free Games

- Work from Home              -  Olympics

- Videos                                   – Celebrities

-  Music                                    -  News

- Word Unscrambler          -  Lyrics

- Myspace                               – Free music downloads

- Phelps                                    – Game cheats

- Free ringtones                    -  Solitaire

- Printable fill-in puzzles

What’s the Worst that Could Happen?

Everyday the average citizen is bombarded with warnings, and whether it’s a “wet floor” sign or a computer safety tip, it’s up to you to decide whether to heed caution or take your chances.

Are these search terms a big deal, or is the worry over-rated? To help you decide for yourself, here are some of the facts from McAfee’s study:

•    As many as 1 in 4 search results are for threatening websites. Searching for terms like “lyrics” will produce results where over 25% of the websites contain possible threats.

•    The danger is in the link, not the search.  Simply searching for information on Michael Phelps is not going to harm your computer. However, a search for phelps is likely to turn up a large number of websites that will try to lure you into downloading malware.

•    Parental controls may not catch these terms. By targeting common and seemingly innocent search terms, hackers are bypassing many parental controls.

The problem, of course, is determining which websites are safe and which are threats – a challenge that can be especially difficult for young computer users.

Here’s a suggestion: print off this list of the most dangerous search terms and make a pact with your family – no one uses one of these terms without checking with an adult first.

Sources: CNN.com “What are the most dangerous search terms on the internet?” June 10, 2009.

McAfee. “The Web’s Most Dangerous Search Terms.” May 2009

Posted in Internet Safety | Internet, news, scams | |