NEWS ALERT
As comic fans begin preparing for Comic-Con, McAfee today released its second annual 2014 Most Toxic Superheroes list, with Superman coming in at number 1. McAfee researched superheroes to find out which ones are kryptonite on the Web and result in bad links, including viruses, malware, and sites laden with malicious software designed to steal passwords and personal information.
This year, two female superheroes – Wonder Woman and Black Widow – have soared their way to the top 10. Last year’s number 1 spot went to Aquaman, who has since sunken to the number 3 spot to tie with Wonder Woman.
The top 10 villainous superheroes for online surfers this year include the following:
McAfee’s Top 10 Most Toxic Superheroes:
1. Superman – 16.50%
2. Thor – 16.35%
3. Wonder Woman and Aquaman (tie) – 15.70%
4. Wolverine – 15.10%
5. Spiderman – 14.70%
6. Batman – 14.20%
7. Black Widow – 13.85%
8. Captain America – 13.50%
9. Green Lantern – 11.25%
10. Ghost Rider – 10.83%
*% indicates chance of landing on a website that has tested positive for online threats such as spyware, adware, spam, phishing, viruses or other malware.
Tips to Stay Protected:
Beware: Stay away from sites that prompt you to download anything before providing you with content. You may want to opt to watch streaming videos or download content from an established site, such as Netflix, CTV, or GlobalTV.
Free downloads: These are significantly the highest virus-prone search terms. Anyone searching for videos or files to download should be careful to not unleash malware on their computer.
Double-check the Web address: Look for misspellings or other clues that the site you are going to may not be safe.
Please see below for an infographic for your reference.
Robert Siciliano, Online Security Expert for McAfee, shares more information about how criminals follow the news and trends to take advantage of enthusiastic fans and tips on how these fans should protect themselves against toxic viruses and malware when searching about “Superman” or others on the list.
McAfee’s infographic 2014: “Most Toxic Superheroes.”
To continue the conversation, follow @McAfeeConsumer on Twitter and tweet your thoughts with the hashtag #toxicsuperhero.