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Google warns that 10 percent of all websites contain malware
Google released a study last week (pdf alert) suggesting that 1 in 10 web pages could contain viruses that can be forcefully downloaded to your computer. The report says that an average of 8,000 new web sites with malware were developed each week during the month of April.The take home point here is that we're not just talking about shady websites that you wouldn't trust with your credit card information. More and more often, legitimate websites are being infected with malicious code by hackers. Simply visiting these sites could be enough to allow an attacker to find and exploit vulnerabilities in your system.
Interestingly, the report serves to scare the pants off of its readers by saying "average gumputer users have no means to protect themselves from this threat. Their browser can be compromised just by visiting a web page and become the vehicle for installing multitudes of malware" while they are unaware.
Of course, the simplest thing you can do to protect yourself is turn off JavaScript in your browser, but that could also mean missing out on many rich media features on the web. So the next best thing is to get yourself some good anti-virus/anti-spyware software and run a complete scan every day. You might want to check out AVG Anti-Virus Free and Windows Defender for starters.
[via CNet]
Comments
8
Subscribe to commentsSalMay 15th 2007 7:33PM
Windows Defender??? Just rated one of the worst. Why not try a much better freebie like Spybot Search & Destroy or Ad-Aware SE.
RPMay 16th 2007 12:50AM
Gosh, does Google have a product that can help me? Maybe a toolbar with a site advisor alert?
Dave ProvostMay 16th 2007 12:51AM
Pfft. My gumputer is ferpectly safe.
ShunnabunichMay 16th 2007 12:52AM
Since when did it drop down to 10%?
wolssiloaMay 16th 2007 12:52AM
Just use firefox with the noscript extension. Optionally you could run firefox under software virtualization software like Sandboxie.
HaoMay 17th 2007 6:31PM
The percentage varies greatly depends on the which type of sites you visit frequently ;)
I am using defender and AVG free on my Vista. They serve their purpose and both are very un-intrusive/hassle-free, which to me is the most important thing.
David GrantMay 16th 2007 12:21PM
Or you could get a Mac and this becomes a non-issue.
ahoierMay 18th 2007 4:21PM
This is one of those topics where, "mileage may vary"...lol. Cause yea, it depends how "smart" you are (as far as smart computing), and of course, what websites you visit..
And well, IE isn't that bad...if you set the Internet zone to High, set the "Trusted" zone to Low, and only "Trust" sites that you absolutely "trust".
That concept has been working for me lately..hehe.
But really, if Google is making such a big deal about this? BRING it on, create an extention and/or "Add-On" for Mozilla and/or more importantly, IE, that warns users of "bad" websites that they visit...If they know what "bad code" looks like, surely a plugin/addon/BHO could warn of bad sites...