Pornographic Sites a Prominent Platform for E-threat, Finds BitDefender

According to BitDefender the Internet security company, porn continues to be the most effective method for hijacking end-users' PCs, as per what Thinq.co.uk reported on January 24, 2011.

Actually, BitDefender's observation follows from a study that it conducted over 2,017 respondents of which 72%, including 22% women and 78% men acknowledged that they'd visited porn-related websites.

The company, at one stage of the study, accessed adult content sites and examined the dangers and implications of data security. Consequently it discovered that 63% of people viewing even a little pornographic material on their computers had personal security compromised at several instances.

The research further found that a huge 91% of porn that people accessed most were movie files, which were obtainable from a number of sources, with torrents, hubs and websites being some.

What's more, the online study with respect to the level of security of URLs associated with porn websites showed that after testing 1,000 web-links, 29% of them showed having infection from various types of malicious programs, particularly spyware and Trojans.

Furthermore, the study on blog websites along with other "collaborative mediums" revealed that over 500 credentials - passwords and account details for paid porn websites - were exposed online.

Remarking about this discovery, specialist Sabina Datcu for E-Threats Analysis and Communications at BitDefender who also authored the study stated that the method in which the credentials were posted online in combination with the same site visitor's other passwords and account details indicated that indeed some malware loaded onto the victim's PC facilitated the thefts. Digon.nl published this on January 24, 2011.

Sadly, more than 60% of survey participants acknowledged that when they accessed porn they were directly hit with malware-related problems at least on two occasions.

Remarking about this, Datcu stated that the study's discoveries should instill the thought in computer-users if it was worthwhile having their systems, work and data compromised just to access adult/porn websites. Marketwire.com published this on January 24, 2011. The specialist concluded that the BitDefender study validated that Internet surfers should think again while visiting porn websites as cyber-crooks kept on abusing such sites.

Related article: Pornography, No More Favored By Spammers

» SPAMfighter News - 2/1/2011